Haven

         This was the end.

         I knew it before I even saw it.  The series of sonic booms swept across the sky like a stampede of thundering beasts.  It was not long after dawn.  The urchin lizards and fiddler beetles had barely silenced their nocturnal songs when the vessel seemed to explode from out of the sunlight to make its decent.  The brothers of the monastery and I watched in stunned silence as the drop-ship circled the wheat fields in which we had been toiling and made its way down the ridge to Free Haven. 

         I cursed our dire luck under my breath.  I hadn’t had to kill anyone in years.  For the first time in my life I knew what it was to be at peace.  It was something I knew I was going to miss.

         “What do you suppose they’re doing here?” Brother Darijo asked of me with his gaze to the sky and his gardening shovel resting on his shoulder.  Surprisingly, he showed no signs of discomfort from the hours of labor we’d already put in that morning, despite his heavy robe.  Mine suddenly felt as if it were about to choke the life from me.

         My focus turned to my son, working with the women and other children to prepare the day’s bread.  “What do you think?” was my worried response.  “There isn’t so much left on Bhekar Ro that you couldn’t figure it out.”

         I returned my attention to Free Haven down below as the ship’s retro-burners flashed.  Gently, it set down and the marines disembarked.  Damn Dominion.  Whoever thought they’d be any better than the Confederates was a fool.

         Darijo smiled, “Have faith, Erick.  Not a soul has approached the monastery since that awful business with the temple.”  He paused a moment, glancing over to see my reaction.  I gave him none.  He cleared his throat and added with optimism, “They may just be after one of their fugitives.  They like to hide out here on the Fringe Worlds.”

         “Maybe.”  The small battery of men began their search of the settlement that had seen more than its fair share of war.  I could still hear the blasts from the central turret ringing in my ears and the bloodcurdling cries those confounded zerg made as they died would haunt my nightmares forever.  Savage creatures.  The monsters of the universe take many forms, not the least of which had suddenly arrived at our doorstep.  “But we can’t afford to take any risks.  Keep an eye on them while I get everyone inside.”

         “Sure.  Don’t forget to tell Father Havard.”

         I didn’t reply.  Instead, I approached the children kneading their dough.  “Amery,” I called to my son.

         “Yes, sir?” the boy stood as he answered, still holding a clump of flour in his hands.  Barely twelve years old, he had a strength and wisdom beyond his years that would make any father’s chest swell with pride.  Already, I could tell he knew I was troubled.  “What’s happened?”

         I sighed.  “The day has come.  Gather the women and children.  Take them to the tunnels and stay hidden.”

         “I want to stay with you,” the boy protested.

         “Don’t argue, Amery,” I spoke more firmly, resting my hands on his shoulders.  “The children will need looking after.” 

         He knew I was lying.  I could see it in his eyes.  The women were more than capable of caring for the young.  He didn’t object again, however, but dropped the dough and immediately started collecting the others.  Such a strong boy.  I prayed I’d have the strength to do what I must.  Moreover, I prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

         As the rest of the brothers ushered the hundred or so residents inside the monastery, I headed for my quarters.  The entire structure was eloquently constructed.  Carved out of the side of the ridge, it was virtually unnoticeable from the sky and appeared to be nothing but barren land bordering the wheat fields.  Even someone down in Free Haven would be hard pressed to point it out.  This relative invisibility and their religious devotions gave the bothers an unrealistic belief that they’d never be discovered.  I had always had my doubts.  The devil always finds what he’s looking for.

         “Brother Erick,” Father Havard stopped me just as I had set foot in my room.  I stifled a frustrated sigh and clenched my fists.  He was only in his early fifties but, on the planet of Bhekar Ro, he was the oldest man alive, which either gave testament to his strength or his unyielding faith.  “I hear we may expect visitors,” he spoke without worry.

         “Not just any,” I answered tersely with my eyes locked on my bunk.  “The Dominion has come to Free Haven.”

         “I see.”  He nodded, still showing no real concern.  He slipped inside and took his position between me and what I had come to retrieve.  “I understand your worry, my friend, but this will not help matters improve.”

         “I can’t do nothing,” I disagreed, trying to remain respectful to the man who had taken us in.  My voice quivered with emotions I had not felt in a long time.

         “We don’t even know their intentions.  There were those among the brothers who feared you when you first arrived at our door a few years ago.  It is the natural response when faith is absent.  Imagine what would not have been had we succumbed to those misgivings.”

         “These are not abandoned soldiers looking for a safe haven, Father.  They are Dominion marines and they’ve sworn to keep its secrets.  We are far from scrutinizing eyes out here.  When they find what they are looking for, they will kill us unless we act first.”

         Havard inhaled deeply, clearly becoming frustrated with my stubbornness.  “You took an oath of peace when you sought sanctuary for yourself and the boy.  It has made you happy, yes?”

         I wanted to dispute him but couldn’t.  He was right, as usual.  When I arrived at this monastery with the boy in tow, I vowed to maintain their belief in nonviolence.  For a time, it brought me serenity as well.  I had never been more contented to be where I was than after I had found myself here, but I had made another vow before I had been welcomed by the brothers.  Failing that, was a burden I couldn’t bear.

         “I ask you to uphold that promise,” Havard continued, seeing the hesitation in my eyes.  “Come.  The brothers are gathering in the chapel to pray.”  He grasped me by the arm and led me out of the room.  My gaze remained locked on my bunk until it passed from my sight.

         “The women and children are safely hidden in the tunnels, Father,” Brother Meir stated with worry as we entered the main cathedral.  It was simple in its rectangular shape, but beautifully ornate with detailed engravings on every pillar and wall.  Light, reflected from the surface by a series of mirrors, poured in through an intricate stain glass window and bathed the room in a warming, orange glow.  Any other day, I would’ve found it peaceful.

         “That is wonderful news, my son,” Father Havard replied with a smile, placing a comforting hand on Meir’s shoulder.

         “Darijo wishes me to pass along that the soldiers have started making their way up the ridge,” Meir continued.  “They will arrive within the hour.”

         Havard’s smile vanished, yet there was still no hint of apprehension in his eyes as he nodded in understanding.  “Go.  Bring Brother Darijo inside and close the door behind you but do not bar it.  The time has come to pray.”

         “Is it wise to keep it unlocked?” I wondered apprehensively.

         “A locked door suggests we have something to hide,” he answered, nudging Meir along.

         “A simple door won’t stop them,” I protested as Meir ran off to fulfill the Father’s wishes.

         “Nor will your weapons,” Havard responded sternly.  “Which is why we must rely on prayer and words.”

         The brothers gathered.  Led by Father Havard, they made their prayers in rhythmic chants.  Beautiful music of beautiful souls.  Only mine was tarnished with the blood of hundreds of stolen lives.  I believed for a while that my time here had washed much of it away, that I had become a better man.  But the Dominion’s arrival reminded me that I would always be a soldier.

         As the others prayed, my mind was flooded with images of battles past.  Death and destruction and mayhem.  In the beginning, I relished it all.  Now the notion of it made me tremble.  Father Havard gripped my shoulder and my anxieties calmed.

         “Search your heart, Brother Erick,” he said to me softly.  “There you will find the strength to do what is right.”

         My thoughts were immediately centered on Amery, hiding with the women and children in the tunnels.  He wasn’t truly my son, obviously.  I had been separated from my squadron not long after we had stopped the zerg assault on Free Haven and found his mother as she lay dying, still clutching the terrified boy in her arms.  She told me how special he was and how much she loved him.  I’ll never forget the look in her tearing eyes as she asked me to care for him.  To protect him.  That was the day this soldier became something greater.  A father.

         My qualms had all but vanished when the Dominion finally came knocking.  I stood with the rest of the brothers as Havard sent Darijo to open the doors.  The effort was pointless, however, as two armor-clad marines simply barreled through the door.  Darijo stumbled backwards in shock, shielding himself from the rain of splinters.  The two marines took positions on either side of the door with their large rifles targeted on us.

         More entered without the powered combat suits, about a dozen total, led by a young commander who was probably too green or too reckless to have earned a more prestigious mission.  He was thin but his gaze was as sharp as a falcon’s.  Instantly, I knew this man was a predator.

         “I am Commander Theron Grosvenor of the Terran Dominion,” he announced as his troops moved in to search the monastery.  Besides the armored marines, who were too bulky to travel through the narrow corridors, only the commander and a woman remained with what I could only guess was scanning equipment of some kind, judging by her intense focus on the screen.  “We are looking for someone very special.”  He stepped forward confidently, unthreatened by a group of pacifists.  “Any assistance would be most appreciated.”

         “Whom do you seek?” Havard asked, showing no fear as he stepped up to the commander.  There was a distant crash as the Dominion soldiers ransacked the kitchen.

         Grosvenor turned to the woman, who replied, “It’s not one of them.”  She adjusted some settings on her device before continuing.  “But it’s in here somewhere.  The mineral deposits are making it difficult to pinpoint but…” Her voice trailed off at the end as if she couldn’t believe what she was reading.

         “Ms. Slayton?” Grosvenor prodded.

         “I’m sorry, sir.  I can’t pinpoint it, but wherever it is, it’s powerful.  I’d estimate at least an index of eight.”

         “As I said,” Grosvenor said with a serpentine smile, returning his attention to Havard, “we are looking for someone very special.  Someone you’re hiding.”  His hand rested on his pistol.  The clasp on the holster had already been unlocked.  The burn marks at the tip of the muzzle told me the weapon had been fired recently.  Even for a Dominion commander, he was impatient.  We didn’t have much time.  “Tell me where the others are hiding.”

         Havard was about to speak when I interrupted, “I will take you to them.”  Havard’s eyes were ablaze with horrified anger.  “Forgive me, Father, but it must be done.”

         “Yes,” Grosvenor agreed heartily.  “It’s about damn time one of you squibs showed some sense.”  He recalled two of his men from the bowels of the monastery.  “Follow him to whomever he’s concealing and don’t waste time.  I want to be off of this godforsaken rock before the morning’s out.  If he tries anything, shoot him.”

         They nodded and we were on our way.  There was a guard to my front and back as we passed through the slender passageways.  Either they were undertrained or overconfident because they remained an arm’s reach away from me the whole time.  Stupid Dominion.  They thought they were so invincible.  They should’ve taken a lesson from their predecessors.  I took note of the knife strapped to the back of the guard’s belt directly in front of me.  It was only a matter of time now.

         “It’s just in here,” I pointed to the door leading to my quarters.  The one at the front entered tentatively, sweeping the room with his rifle. 

         The one at the back nudged me forward and asked, “Where the hell are they?”

         In a flash, my elbow had crushed his windpipe.  Before the other could react, I pulled his knife from its sheath and drove it into the back of his neck.  He dropped to the ground a lifeless lump the instant the blade severed his spinal cord.  I dragged the choking man into the room as he writhed on the ground gasping for breath.  I closed the door and ended his pain in silence.

         I stood.  My hands were shaking as the adrenaline surged through me.  I had almost forgotten what it was like to kill an enemy, so bittersweet.  Victory and loss all rolled into one.  I took a deep breath and steadied my hands.  There was still more work to be done.

         Quickly, I opened the compartment hidden under my bunk and gathered my things.  There was no need for my armor.  It would only slow me down and draw more attention than I could afford, not to mention the fact that I wouldn’t have even fit through the door with it on.  My guns and grenades would have to do.  I slipped the knife into my belt in case someone got too close.

         “Burns!” Grosvenor’s voice boomed over the fallen soldiers’ radios.  “Where the hell are you?”

         “We’re on our way back, sir,” I responded for Burns as I adjusted the strap on my rifle and let it hang on my back.  I preferred my pistol over it any day. 

         “Good,” was the curt response.  To my horror, the sound of distant gunfire and the brothers’ agonizing screams echoed down the corridor an instant later. 

         “No!” I stifled my urge to cry out any louder.  I felt as if my legs were going to give out and braced myself against the dresser.  My stomach was in knots.  Those poor men were dead because of me.

         I looked to my son’s cot in the corner of the room and my resolve strengthened.  Grief wouldn’t save my son.  Sorrow wouldn’t avenge those who had shown me what it was to be at peace.  I had my mission and the time for subtlety had ended.

         I tossed a grenade into the kitchen to clear out the troops still rummaging within before I moved onto the hidden entrance to the tunnels.  A pair of men ran into the hall up ahead in reaction to the explosion.  The gun in my hand was raised in an instant and I fired, letting instinct guide my aim.

         One of them was dead after my first shot as the contents of his skull were splattered across the wall behind him.  The second managed to shoot a hole out of my arm before I got through the kitchen door for cover.  I cursed my lack of haste and returned fire while keeping pressure on the wound with my free hand.  We exchanged shots for a few moments before I pegged him in his kneecap, dropping his head into view for the killing blow. 

         The library was next.  The tunnels were hidden there.  If Grosvenor and his men had any sense, they wouldn’t stay that way for long.  That, however, wasn’t my primary problem.  There were few places that provided adequate cover except for the support columns.  With only one way in and out, I was going to have a hard time overtaking them.  In the brief gap in the violence, I took the opportunity to reload my pistol.

         Cautiously, I approached the closed door and pressed my ear against it to hear inside.  It was, as far as I could tell, silent as a tomb.  That was either a good sign or a very bad one.  Experience had taught me to suspect the latter.

         Slowly, I turned the doorknob, making sure I was safely to the side against the wall.  I had barely opened it an inch before a rifle blast blew a hole through the door where my head would’ve been.  I shielded my eyes from the flying splinters as the other soldiers opened fire.  I waited as they got their jitters out and wasted ammunition.  These guys were green.  This was probably their first encounter with combat.  If they managed to survive, I was going to ensure they would never forget it.

         When the firing stopped, I went into action.  I stayed low, giving them a smaller target.  The one on my left was too busy reloading to be much of a threat for the moment.  A gunshot grazed my shoulder from the right.  Intuitively, I turned and pulled the trigger.  In an explosion of paper, the men hiding behind the bookshelves fell.

         The familiar click of a magazine locking into place drew my attention to the other end of the room.  He raised his weapon and let the fire fly.  I dove behind the nearest support column and pressed myself against it for cover.  It wouldn’t last long.  The gunfire was already chipping away at the stone.  I’d have to do something quickly.

         I took a mental inventory as the pillar continued to erode.  Up until now, I had been using my pistol, which was almost empty.  The knife was tucked in my belt.  My rifle was still draped across my shoulder with an extra clip in my pocket along with the last grenade.  That wouldn’t do.  The room was too small and I would risk the blast revealing the entrance to the tunnels.  Besides, I’d need the explosive to get the upper hand when it came time to deal with the two armored marines at the front door.

         I cried out in pain as shattering stone pierced my leg like shrapnel.  Holding the pistol over my shoulder, I fired blindly and prayed I’d hit something.  My heart sank as the familiar click of an empty gun met my ears.  I cursed as I let the weapon drop to the floor.

         He chuckled as he stepped forward, confident in his victory.  I smiled.  This man just spelled his own doom.  I drew the knife from my belt and awaited his approach.

         “Step out slowly,” he ordered.  I could hear his nervous hands adjusting their grip on his rifle.  He was coming up on my right.  “Keep your hands where I can see them!”

         I didn’t move.  I barely even breathed as I focused on the sound of his boots pressing against the stone floor as he grew closer.  Just a few more steps.

         “I won’t tell you again!” he shouted.  He wouldn’t have to.  He was close enough. 

         I spun around the far side of the column and came at him with the knife.  The expertly sharpened blade cut through his hand like the tenderest of steaks.  Three fingers, including the one that had been gripping the trigger, tumbled harmlessly to the ground.  He dropped his weapon, clutching his new wound in shock.  I moved in for the killing strike across his throat.

         Surprisingly, he deflected my slash and took the opportunity to hit the gunshot wound in my arm.  The sudden jerk in pain loosened my grip on the knife enough for it to slip from my grasp.  I took another two blows to the ribs before I recovered enough to block his next attempt. 

         He was stronger than I thought.  I caught his next punch, applied the proper leverage, and snapped it at the wrist, leaving him with two unusable hands.  As he staggered back, I hit him across the face and he fell to the ground a lump.  I left him alone after that.  I had killed far too many already.

         I turned to the wall opposite the entrance.  The engravings over the entire surface of the wall concealed the hidden door nicely.  Pressing specific symbols in the correct order resulted in the door recessing into the wall and sliding out of sight.  Cool, damp air met my face.  The tunnels beyond were dimly lit but I could hear the faint whispers from the women and children as they waited for me to give them the all clear.  They weren’t going to get it.  I wasn’t a hero and wasn’t here for them.

         “Amery!” I called down the tunnel.  “Amery, we’re leaving.”  I heard the shuffling of footsteps and my heart began to race. 

         Getting him safely out of the monastery wasn’t going to be easy with the rest of Grosvenor’s troops running around.  Still, if I could get him back to the kitchen, we could use the ventilation system to escape to the surface.  With any luck, we could get down to Free Haven before they even realized we weren’t there.

         “Dad?” Amery shuffled into sight, shielding his eyes from the light.

         “I’m here, son,” I embraced him and wiped away the dirt that had collected on his face.

         “What’s happened to you?  You’re hurt.”  He gingerly touched the patch of blood on my arm.  I pulled his hand away gently.

         “I’ll explain later.  We must hurry.”  I gripped his hand in mine and turned, but it was too late.  Grosvenor stood at the entrance with his pistol trained on me.  The rest of his squad stood behind him, awaiting their orders.

         “Well, hello,” Grosvenor greeted us.  His cordial smile was a lie.

         “No!” Amery cried and shoved me to the side an instant before Grosvenor pulled the trigger.  The gunshot that should have pierced my heart now only blew a hole through my shoulder.  I fell to the floor in agony.

         “Interesting boy you have here,” the commander strolled in confidently, his eager gaze was locked onto my son.  “Ms. Slayton.”  The woman with the scanning device entered the room.

         “It’s him,” she said excitedly after a moment of calibration.

         “Take him.”  His men moved in immediately and took hold of Amery.

         “Don’t you dare lay your hands on him!” I shouted as I painfully pulled myself to my feet.  Grosvenor fired again without a word but the shot seemed to curve in the air and missed my head by inches.  Gravel sprayed against my face as it blew a small crater in the wall beside me.  Amery sighed.

         Missing his target seemed to puzzle him for a moment.  “You know, for a man of peace, you’ve been awfully busy killing my men,” the commander spoke heatedly, firing twice more and missing each time.  He looked at his weapon in disgust. 

         “I never said I was a man of peace,” I responded with a  glance at Amery.  I could tell he was growing weary.

Grosvenor sighed, lowering his weapon for the moment, “I suppose not.  So, if you’re not one of those religious zealots, who the hell are you?”

         I took a deep breath and answered honestly, “I’m his father.”  All eyes fell onto the worried boy being held captive.

         “Touching.  But I suspect you’re a little more than that.”  He looked over the dead scattered across the floor and nudged one with his foot.  “Judging by the speed with which you dispatched my men, I’d say you were Alpha Squadron.  What happened?  Miss the ride home?”

         I stifled the urge to return his scoffing tone.  “You could say that.”

         “Well, it seems, your bad luck has no end.”  He signaled his marines to raise their rifles and take aim.  I held my breath.  There would be no stopping them all.  I looked, with a broken heart, to my son.  Despite all my efforts, I had failed.

         “Please don’t,” Amery spoke up just as Grosvenor was about to give the order.  “It won’t change anything.  They’re still not going to care.”  Grosvenor stopped, as if frozen, his eyes wide.  He turned to Amery, who continued, “You could kill everyone on this planet and they wouldn’t forgive you.”

         “Shut up,” Grosvenor’s voice was on edge.  I knew what my son was doing.  Courageous boy.  He did his father proud.  I just hoped I’d survive what was to come.

         “Even the success of this mission won’t fix the one you failed.”

         “I said silence, you little brat!”  Grosvenor struck Amery as hard as he could with the back of his hand.  I dropped to the floor and shielded my head as the whole room blew apart.

         Special.  His mother told me he was special.  At first, I thought it was just a testament of a mother’s love.  Then, the brothers and I began to see the full meaning of her words as he grew.  He was incredibly intuitive and could almost tell what others were thinking. 

         More amazing was his ability to move objects with a mere thought.  The brother’s and I had watched in awe as the rubble from a collapsed hall within the monastery was lifted effortlessly away without a single hand being laid upon it.  It wasn’t always so elegant.  The power, however it had been harnessed, was not always easy to control.  The slightest emotional outburst had the risk of dire repercussions, as Grosvenor and his men had just learned.

         I awoke sometime later with ringing in my ears.  My head throbbed and my body was wracked with pain as I pulled myself from beneath a mound of shattered wood and broken books.  The library had been decimated.  The force from Amery’s outburst had destroyed the support columns.  It was a miracle the whole thing hadn’t collapsed upon us.  The Dominion troops were scattered about, some buried some not.  Those who weren’t already dead were close enough.  Blood was everywhere. 

         I found Amery at the epicenter of the blast curled up in a ball.  He was unconscious, as often happened after an outburst.  It always was so draining upon him.  I was reaching down to pick him up when I was grabbed from behind and thrown onto the pile of rubble that once was a bookshelf.

         “I have had enough of you and these Fringe World degenerates!” Grosvenor roared.  He was cut up badly.  Dirt and blood covered his face but his eyes were clear, ablaze with more ire than I’d ever seen in a man.  He limped over to me and pulled out his knife.  “I could have been a general!”

         I caught his hand a centimeter before he brought the blade down on my jugular.  He pressed as hard as he could with both hands, determined to end me.  Leveraging myself against the debris beneath me, I managed to hold him off but it was a losing battle.

         “For two years I’ve been scouring the far reaches of this sector for something like that boy!”  He pressed ever harder on the blade and it took all my strength to hold him at bay.  My arms were on fire.  “I will have him!”

         “No!” I twisted and let his blade strike the rock beneath me.  While he was off balance, I drove my fist into his ribs and the familiar popping sound of one of them breaking met my ears.  For the first time that day, I wasn’t appalled by my own violence.  “I won’t let you turn him into one of your ghosts!”

         I threw him off and stood, gripping his knife in my hand.  Now my anger mirrored his.  I had killed so many.  Certainly, one more wouldn’t damn me to a deeper circle of Hell.

         “Wait,” Grosvenor pleaded with shallow breath.  He tried to crawl away, the worm, but was having difficulty with the jagged rib digging into his chest.  “Please!”

         “You will not take him,” I spoke quietly, but firmly, as I grabbed him by the throat and pressed the knife against him.  His eyes were wide with terror as I prepared to drive it into his foul heart.

         “Dad?” Amery spoke groggily as he pulled himself to his feet.  My heart sank.  I had hoped to finish before he’d awakened.  Ones so young shouldn’t see such barbarism.

         “Step out into the hall, son,” I told him, keeping my eyes locked on Grosvenor’s arrogant, grinning face.  He knew I wouldn’t kill him in front of the boy.  “I’ll meet you there shortly.”

         “I don’t want to go without you.”  He walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.  The knife quivered in my hand.  I had to be strong.  His fate depended on it.

         “I said go, Amery,” I spoke with more authority and he jerked away.  I softened my voice.  “I’ll meet you there in a few moments.”  Reluctantly, he complied and I watched as the commander’s smile vanished.

         “Killing me won’t change anything, you know,” Grosvenor asserted fervently.  “Once his bio-signature and Psionic Index were scanned into the device, they were transmitted back to the ship and sent back to Korhal.  In a matter of hours, every Dominion ship in the sector is going on the lookout for your son.”

         “Then, I guess that means we’ve run out of time.”  I flipped the blade around so that the broad side rested against my forearm and punched him in the face.  He was knocked out instantly with blood pouring from his newly broken nose.  I dropped the knife and went to the partially immured entrance of the tunnels.

         “The enemy has been defeated for now,” I called to those still hiding.  “But it is not safe here anymore.  Wait an hour, gather what you can, and get out before more come.”

         Amery smiled when he saw me emerge from the destroyed library.  I had a feeling he knew I hadn’t killed the commander.  The rest of the monastery had sustained little damage, not that it mattered.  This place would never again be a sanctuary of peace.

         “Come on,” I said to him softly, taking him by the hand.  I had defeated my enemy yet I felt as if I had lost almost everything I held dear to me.  “We’re leaving.”

         “What about the others?” he wondered as I led him to the demolished kitchen.  A thin veil of smoke still hung in the air.  We gingerly stepped over the dead as we moved towards what I hoped would be our means of escape.

         “We don’t have time.  They will send reinforcements soon.”  I tore the screen off of the ventilation duct above the stove and lifted Amery so he could climb inside.  “If we can get to their ship we can lead the Dominion away from the monastery long enough for them to escape.”

         “To where?” he questioned as he slowly made his way up the ridged shaft.  “Free Haven is the only colony.”

         I didn’t answer, but merely urged him forward.  I didn’t like abandoning those who had helped me to care for my son.  They didn’t deserve the fate that had been handed to them.  Still, it was better to die at the hands of Terran arrogance than to be ‘cleansed’ by the zerg.  At least, that was what I had convinced myself.

         The protective cover on the surface was easy enough for Amery to dislodge and we clambered out into the orange sunlight.  My muscles burned and my head was spinning.  My injuries were beginning to take their toll.  We had to hurry.

         “Quickly, now,” I told my son.  “We need to get down the ridge before the rest of Grosvenor’s men realize we’ve escaped.”

         We ran as fast as we could on the uneven terrain of Bhekar Ro.  Few large plants would grow in this inhospitable environment, so seeking cover wasn’t an option.  Our only hope was to reach that drop-ship before the armor-clad marines took the initiative to look outside.

         Our treacherous trek was nearly three quarters finished before the first blast from a C-14 rifle blew a hole in the dirt ahead of us the size of a dinner plate.  I paused only briefly to see the two exoskeletons charging down the hill after us.

         “Move!” I shouted, returning to our flight.  Regardless of their size, the machines were shockingly fast.

         They fired again and again in short bursts.  Dust and rock fragments sprayed into the air and slowed our movement.  If they had wanted to kill us, they would have.  They knew one of us was who they were after and were herding us away from the vessel by creating a wall of deadly, flying metal.

         Amery cried out in pain as an eight millimeter spike passed through his leg as if he weren’t even there.  The telekinetic shockwave he produced as a result of his distress was the largest I’d ever seen him make.  It wasn’t a particularly powerful blast because of his exhaustion but I was still thrown to the ground as a column of dust was heaved into the air.  The marines were too far away to have been troubled by the event, but the haze obscured their view of us enough for them to hold their fire.

         “Amery!” I called as I regained my composure.  I found him lying once again in the center of his blast radius, clenching his bloody leg.  “Are you all right?”

         “It hurts!” he cried, his eyes awash with tears.

         “Don’t worry.  I’m here,” I comforted as I gently lifted him.  The drop-ship was only a few dozen yards away now but I could hear the thundering footsteps of the marines as they barreled down the ridge.  All I could do was run and pray for a miracle.

         My hopes were dashed as two more exoskeletons emerged from the vessel with their weapons raised.  I stopped in my tracks as they approached.  I was surrounded.  This time, my son was too weak to save us.  They were going to take him and turn him into a monster.

         “I’m sorry, son,” I spoke softly, trying desperately to keep my voice from quivering.

         Amery smiled weakly, but with confidence, “Don’t worry, Dad.  The miracle is on its way.”

         I hadn’t even had the chance to question him when the front of the Dominion craft blew apart.  I shielded the boy from the flying debris as the marines lost all interest in us.  Their attention had been drawn to the missile turret at the center of Free Haven.

         I moved away as a second launch from the turret reduced the drop-ship to a smoldering, black carcass.  The marines returned fire as the citizens of Free Haven gave them the welcome the Dominion deserved.  A third missile killed one of the marines and severely damaged the armor of another.  The other two, realizing they were outmatched, wisely retreated.

         I sat there in silence with my son resting in my arms, watching the ship burn.  Our only hope for escape had been demolished.  More would come for him.  I was certain of that.

         The people of Free Haven were coming now, still armed.  They’d seen enough of war to know it is rarely over so easily.  Things often got worse before they got better.

         So, it seemed we were staying, taken in by another group of kindred souls.  As they gathered around to tend to our wounds, my eyes drifted up to the midday sky.  I saw no ships, no fireballs descending from the cold of space to bring more of those armored abominations, but I was certain of one thing.

         This was only the beginning.

I wrote the preceding for Blizzard Entertainment's 2010 Writing Contest in which entrants were asked to write a short story based upon one of their most popular video game franchises. Now, I have never played any of these games and the challenge of developing a story to fit into an already established storyline intrigued me.  After a bit of research and conversations with friends, the story you read was developed in line with Blizzard's Starcraft games.  I hope you enjoyed it!