Its a tougher fight than expected

You feel the rocking of the drop pod as it enters the atmosphere. By now the Directorate would be on alert. If they hadn't known where you were coming from before the red trail in the sky would make it obvious to even the most basic of their sensors. There was a jolt as the pod slowed down before impact, the touchdown surprisingly light before the door sprung open to release its cargo of Vikings.

The Captain was the first one off the pod, leading her personal guard in a loose cluster. If this had been a battle with the main Directorate forces there would have been much more organization. As it was the militia weren't likely to be a threat. You felt Aslaug give your arm one more squeeze as it was your turn to leave the pod. Side by side you ran out onto the rocky mountainside that marked your deployment area. The light wasn't very bright, the planet's star not nearly as strong as Earth's sun but it was more than enough to see by. All around you could see your fellow raiders grouping up with their friends as you waited for the Captain's signal to get moving.

One other raider joined you, a mutual friend of yours and Aslaug's named Ranveig. She was a dark skinned girl, with finely braided black hair that reached down to the bottom of her neck. Her cocoa colored eyes had a mischievous glint in them as she looked around at the other raiders. As the only one of the three of you who'd brought a shield she raised it to indicate everyone around you. "We should really get a move on. Don't want to keep those fertile ladies waiting do we?" She asked, the mirth evident in her voice. Then in a just as playful tone she lowered her voice. "Don't want everyone getting so antsy that they mistake me for the bad guys."

She was the daughter of a thrall captured in a raid much like this one. You'd met Ranveig in training after she'd embarrassed a Thane's daughter in a one on one match. Said daughter had tried to exact **** with a few toadies. The look on their faces when you and Aslaug had intervened to make it a fair fight had been worth the week spent cleaning the bathrooms for 'going too far'. The three of you had been best friends ever since.

The Captain gave the order to move out.

The three of you hastily arranged yourself in an arrowhead formation with Ranveig at the tip and you at the right. It was a bit clumsy, the three of you excited for your first real raid. You went a kilometer without encountering any resistance. The raiding teams were getting a bit spread out but it wasn't a major problem. You hadn't even encountered the enemy yet.

You didn't notice that something was weird about the rocks until one of them got up and charged at you. On instinct more than anything else you swung your battle axe and knocked the well camouflaged woman's spear out of her hand. Ranveig quickly followed up with a thrust of her spear and the woman's armor failed, leaving the woman laying on the ground, out of the fight. You didn't have time to celebrate as all around you more 'rocks' had gotten up, their companion obviously having sprung their trap too early as they moved against you from all sides.

Your arrowhead quickly became a triangle as you pressed yourself back against your betrothed and your friend to desperately fend off the attackers. They were good, and it was all you could do to use your twin weapons to fend them off. Behind you were the sounds of clashing of steel and thuds on wood as your companions did the same. Some of your fellow raiders saw your plight and were rushing to your aid. You almost thought that the three of you would be able to make it. Then Aslaug went stiff for a moment before falling. Your hammer swung without thinking and you felt it connect with the woman who'd been moving in to try and exploit the gap. There was a stab of pain at your side as your armor was penetrated from the front you'd neglected. It didn't register as a kill but you knew your armor was now tracking you 'bleeding out'.

Your reinforcements had finally arrived and your attackers abandoned you to retreat further back. Your saviors gave enthusiastic chase, leaving you with a moment to evaluate your situation. You gave Aslaug a sympathetic look as she lay on the ground before turning towards Ranveig.

"Didn't see that one coming." She said as she slumped to the ground, her spear arm limp. "Bitches got me in the arm and shoulder. Can't use my spear. Either of them." She said giving a forlorn look at the four attackers you'd managed to take down. You'd have to wait until after the battle to collect them. Ranveig shuffled over to the prone form of Aslaug and gently put her hand on her back. Her face showing regret.

"You know I'm really going to miss Aslaug. She was the finest friend I could have asked for. She-" Ranveig said

"Shet ueep" A voice said from the ground.

"I sometimes still feel like I can hear her voice!" When she broke out into fake bawling you were **** to crack a smile before remembering you were wounded. You grabbed a 'bandage' from Aslaug's supply and pushed it against the wound. That would slow it down but your armor would make you move more sluggishly as you lost 'blood'.

"I'll miss her too." You said in a solemn voice before helping your companion to her feet. Looking down at your betrothed you found it odd that she'd died with her middle fingers extended. "Love you too." You said as Rinveig dropped her shield and took the no longer in use sword so that the two of you could rejoin the fighting.