Sigma/Star

Chapter 18: Cold Front

The chill winds of the north screamed through the mountains, coming down harshly from the tips of the hills and sweeping through the valleys, rustling between various trees and picking up the snow off the ground. The creatures living in this area were packed tightly to the landscape, shielding themselves from the weather. Amongst them was Ochenkov, wrapped up in the bed sheets from his hospital bed.

He clutched a needle in his hand, flipping it between fingers as he watched a small rabbit nibbling on a shoot that had poked through the snow. He determined the best point of entry for the needle to cripple the animal's leg before he would use the tubing he had to wrap it up and strangle it. The natural world was a cruel place, but he would have to step up to meet the challenge if he wanted to survive.

There was a faint shaking from a bush and both human and creature froze. Out bolted a feral dog and in a flash it had snatched up the rabbit and dashed away. Ochenkov shuddered from another breeze blowing through and he muttered a small prayer for the soul of the animal in his native tongue.

The large man returned to the small encampment he had made in a cave. The fire he had set earlier was down to the embers and he rekindled it quickly to restore warmth to his body. This was only a temporary stop on his trip. He hadn't gone very far from the hospital yet the surrounding area felt like a total wilderness.

Tomorrow the hardest part of his journey would begin; a trip through a cold hell that would challenge him in ways he hadn't encountered since his childhood in the tribe. He formed a little bed for himself and grabbed some food from his stockpile. He preferred to keep it for emergencies but he would need energy just to keep his body temperature up during the night.

* * * * *

The next day was surprisingly sunny. Cold, yes, but sunny at least. The winds had died off temporarily and Ochenkov had set out as quickly as possible upon seeing the favorable conditions. The snow could still get dangerously deep and difficult to pass through but he was finding his way.

He had no choice but to push on. The things that had been said to him, of the coming events, were too dangerous for him to keep them to himself. Were somebody not warned, if actions weren't taken, then the approaching state of the world would be a grave one indeed. He had been fortunate that is battle had been against Sigmeund and not another General of the Artisan Confederate, for they might not have been as kind on his body when they attacked him. Having been former comrades in a war, the two shared a mild bond of battle brothers.

Ochenkov thought back to that day when he had lost his men, the day he had fallen into a trap made by his own country...

"Ochenkov you don't make this very easy by resisting me," Sigmeund said as his Goliath danced around the slower Siberian Rhino.

"After I clip wings, we talk Sigmeund," Ochenkov grunted. He knew his time was limited in this battle. His toughness was not failing him but he understood the limitations of his machine. The critical strike to his shoulder had severely hampered him and left him exposed to more attacks by the Mongoose-class fighter and its expert controller.

Sigmeund bounded off the ground again and drove his foot hard into Ochenkov's chest, making sure to avoid the large horn that protruded from the Goliath's body. The blow rattled the pilot within the cockpit as he crashed onto his back and Sigmeund was above him in a flash, pinning him down in the snow.

"Now you kill me yes?" Ochenkov spat.

"No old friend. I need you to stay alive. In this great chess game of the cosmos, we are but mere pieces and yet we must live to serve our cause. You will be receiving messages instead, Ochenkov, ones I need you to relay to your superiors. Do you understand?"