Five disc speeders scoured the empty city of Karyaes Tellanii, searching for their quarry. The city had been abandoned many ages ago, most of its population falling to the plague of the witches. Now, few beings could survive on the planet at all. The crews of the disc speeders had precautions against the disease, as did their companions on the ground.
Unfortunately, there was one being on the planet who was immune to the plague entirely.
The disc speeders were slim mechanical creations, with solid hulls of titanium and strong pulse cores to power the engines and weaponry. Built on each side at the midsection was a large vertical disc, housing two of the speeder's ant-grav coils. A third disc, horizontal instead, was fixed to the hull above and a short way back from the view canopy. This was used to keep the speeder in the air, while the vertical discs ensured directional control. A thin tail reached back behind the speeder, slipping out between two circular thruster tunnels. A single four barrelled shard cannon was fixed to the underside.
Squadron Command Kalimk searched the skies before scrutinising the sensor display. He was determined not to allow the target to escape as it had done on the ruined world of Tellept. It was a sneaky creature, managing to evade all of his efforts. A planetary sweep of Novrass Kiantei had turned up no results, yet Supreme Command Degette was adamant that the creature had come to this world. Therefore a more localised search was required, and Degette was underestimating nothing. The entire army had been transported to Novrass Kiantei to find and destroy the target. They'd managed to find trace of it in Karyaes Tellanii, and so it was in the deserted city that Degette was focusing his search.
As the disc speeders turned from one wide street into another Kalimk glanced down to the ground and saw the gathered forces of the Miscallan mercenary platoon. It was a formidable army, some two hundred men in total. Even from the height of the disc speeder Kalimk could see the foot soldiers organised into their hunt teams. They were tall beings, hidden away in their heavy armour, suits of emerald metal that kept the soldiers safe from the poisonous atmosphere. They each carried a sturdy shard rifle; weapons that fired heated spikes of metal at an enemy, roasting them from the inside.
Speeding out in front of the foot soldiers Kalimk could see four patrols of skimmer bikes, each patrol having four men. Each bike was armed with a small shard launcher mounted to the front. One bike in each squadron had a side port fitted where the fourth man operated a heavy burner cannon. All of the riders were armoured.
At the front of the force were seven heavily armoured walkers, cumbersome creations that walked sluggishly on two thickly built legs. They were heavy machines, housing a single man inside each one. Each had two powerful arms, but the limbs differed. Some of the walkers had large shard cannons replacing the arm and hand, the shoulder built to house the significant amount of ammunition. Others had missile launchers, capable of firing eight at a time and swiftly reloading. Others still had combat attachments, huge claws that could crush an armoured man to a pulp with no effort.
While the walkers led the army, the tanks covered the rear. They were blocky vehicles, but the emerald hulls formed a powerful defence. Each tank carried a large hexagonal turret fitted with a powerful energy weapon. Kalimk watched as they slowly trundled behind the foot soldiers, their metal treads crushing rubble and debris underneath. He had always admired the massive machines, but he much preferred his disc speeder.
He left the main force to scout ahead, calling the other speeders to check in. He sent Tressoi and Erkikst left, ordering Kellvaiyes and Tomorran to follow him. His fellow pilots all acknowledged the commands and two of the speeders peeled away to cover more ground. He led Kellvaiyes and Tomorran ahead, turning left at the next corner. As he did so Nissick, his co-pilot and gunner, pointed ahead. Kalimk saw a shape disappearing behind a building on the left, a large shape. Guessing that it was the target, Kalimk sent a warning to the other pilots and followed the shape's course.
He was just in time to see one of the speeders fall from the air, its entire rear section torn away and the top disc smashed. It slammed into the road and the speeder was engulfed by flames. Kalimk shouted for the other pilots to check in. It was Erkikst who failed to. Kalimk saw the shape again and increased speed, reporting his direction back to the other pilots. Nissick opened fire with the shard cannon and red hot spikes of metal raked the building behind the creature.
