Story: The Coatzl

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The Coatzl
Coatzl citadel.jpg

Author

Holbenilord

This is a work of fiction about the Coatzl race. Written by User:Holbenilord.

Prologue

In the Temple of the Great Serpent, the Taxacatlec Huaetaoc bowed low to the image of his god.

On either side of him, other believers chanted praise; but Huaetoc was too focussed. He thanked the Great Serpent for his life and happiness, he promised to serve him, and he asked what he should do.

Staring into the statue's eyes, he saw the reflections of his own in the fiery opal- churning flames appearing whenever he turned his head from side to side. His god did not speak- but he did not have to. Huaetoc knew what he had to do.

The Coatzl knight slithered to the exit, then took off into the glorious night.

Chapter 1

The Nahuatlec of Zaloctl was tall, imposing Coatzl. His two head-fans were tied back down his neck, and jewellery hung from his mane and wings. He bore a Vorazotl-hide cloak over his shoulder- he had once been in the Great Army, and after years of dedicated service the Emperor had rewarded him.

He was the lord of this planet, a planet of dark blue skies and lush forests, edible fauna and rich minerals. He didn't believe in the Serpent God, but if he had, he would have given praise to Him every day for such a wonderful life.

A few of his Taxacatlec entered, and waited for him to uncoil.

He did so, and looked each in the eyes, talking. There was a problem in the forest. He told them all to come with him- he wouldn't be able to sleep with this disruption anyway.


Shaded by the Kapeik trees, the Nahuatlec and his Taxacatlec slithered through the forest. Two constructs came on behind, their heads turning to scan the shadows.

"AOARUS DETECTED."

"Draw weapons!"

Each Coatzl pulled out their gun, and the constructs' arms unfolded into an array of cannons and rockets. The Aoarus could somehow FTL jump into the crusts of worlds and then climb up onto the surface- it wasn't very fair.

"Tell base to activate planetary shield!"

A line of shimmering blue travelled from one horizon to the other as an enormous energy field shielded the planet. As soon as it was up, explosions could be seen- Aoarus capsules smashing into it.

"I have a target!"

One of the taxacatlec fires his Paraethoc gun, and the shot curved through the air as it went straight for the Aoarus. With a clunk, it penetrated the bony skull and came out the other side.

The beast fell down onto the dust, and then exploded in raging flame.

"MDs say eighteen foes!"

"Kill them all!"

The Nahuatlec pulled out his own gun, a Vorahmenhuac minigun, and pointed it where the last foe had stepped out.

The trees whipped back and forth under the burning lines of tracing bullets, then crashed down with trunks peppered and charred. Aoarus began to explode, slain by the shots, and he laughed with his own power.

The Coatzl leapt into the air, gliding over the trees and shooting down at the beasts below.

Now Aoarus missile repeaters began to sound, and the air was filled with spheres of orange and yellow which burst into life and then faded.

The constructs began their attack, shooting up into the air with their rockets and bombarding the ground below. Under its fire, the cloak of an Aoarus capsule degraded, and the silver ship was now plain to see. Its cover blown, it activated its own weapons and Devourer shots crashed into the constructs. The ate through the stone and steel, horrendous weapons bringing down the golems in the sky.

There was a crunch as one of the constructs fell, but the other stood tall in the clouds. It unleashed all its rockets, and it was the capsule's turn to disappear in blazing light.

"Aoarus fleet in orbit!"

Sure enough, the planetary shield had begun to light up with the impacts of a thousand shots per second, and the Nahuatlec turned to his soldiers. He looked them in the eyes, and told them what to do.

Chapter 2

Dread Commander Verkasia brought her Vessarnon Megaship about to face Zaloctl. A thousand chain-driven bombs crashed into the planetary shield, a sequence of blinding explosions that played across the invisible field.

"They have delayed their death. But we shall consume them."

The megaship turned its fire against the Tuetlex station nearby, which was holding well against the capsules. A million carbon missiles streaked across the void and straight into the Station, and the fantastic light show revealed the shield's impending failure.

"Impactor discs."

Discs, travelling at relativistic speeds, exploded into the fading defence field. With the last came a tremendous flare, and then the station imploded into itself. Metal and carbon came shooting out from the wreck, burning up in the atmosphere or hitting the Aoarus ships.

"Fear my name, foolish Coatzl! None amongst you can stand against our might!"

It was at that point that the Coatzl Fleet of 13-Death dropped out of FTL directly behind them. Its lead ship, the Nemontemi, began firing immediately. Its particulate driver lashed out at the Vessarnon Megaship, and the two ships unleashed hell on each other.

Hauetoc brought his Yaaxit Battleship towards the field, and began to pick off the capsules that darted around above the planet's atmosphere. His followers' ships were behind him, mainly cruisers, and they sped amongst the exploding specks of metal.

He shrieked into the audio-comm. "We assist the Nemontemi!"

The other six megaships were tied up against Kessrivna Battleships, and Hauetoc's squadron was the only free one.

"Where shall we go?"

"We must enter the foe."

"It is not doable!"

"Observe."

Hauetoc's Yaaxit accelerated towards the Vessarnon, engines blazing with blue plasma. He hit the shield hard, and the ship's structure creaked a little under a strain that would shatter mountains. There was no real effect, but Hauetoc was exactly where he wanted to be. He donned his spacesuit rapidly, and let off a small prayer to the Great Serpent. This would either be a great glory or a noble death.

He threw himself out through the airlock, and landed on the Vessarnon's defence field. He began to climb up it, repulsors in his fingertips creating little handholds for him. His Yaaxit provided the protection from incoming fire and light, so he was able to reach the part directly behind the engine.

He pulled himself in, well aware that any emission would spell his end. But, Great Serpent permitting, it would not be him that died today!


Verkasia watched the shields slowly depleting in strength, and gnashed her teeth in rage.

"Focus your fire!"

"Commander, we have a Coatzl climbing up the engine ducts!"

"Burn him out!"

The lieutenant smiled. "Very good."


Hauetoc heard the rush of exhaust down the passage, and leapt into a service vent, sealing it just in time. Blazing plasma shot past, plasma that would have vaporised him in an instant. Even through his suit, he could feel the heat, and pulled back involuntarily.

Once it had passed, he climbed back in, this time with renewed vigour.

Chapter 3

The Kessrivna battleships were being picked off one by one, and the Aoarus knew it.

"Pull back! I'd rather live and kill for another hundred years than die today!"

The Vessarnon's engine activated again, and Hauetoc braced himself.

With a soaring leap, he crossed the engine tube and landed on the ancillary drive access hatch. There would be four more hatches inside. Taking a Tqotl in hand, he cut through the metal and climbed in. He broke the next lock and was in there, just as the engine tube filled with broiling, shining gas.

Moving on through, he was inside the ancillary drive. Two hundred feet below him were three particle accelerators, coiled around each other and inactive. This wasn't his objective- he had to get through into the main engine chamber, the most dangerous room in the whole ship.

A particularly powerful impact rocked the ship, and Hauetoc was thrown onto the accelerators. Grimly, he stood up, and walked along their curved tops. On the far side, he leapt up and glided onto the observation service platform, then moved through into the accelerator power room. These walls were radiation shields, and he knew that he would have to destroy these generators too. With his Tloqtl, he sliced through the current feed tubes, and left it to explode.


"Commander! Power failure and impending explosion in ancillary drive power room four!"

"Seal it off! Send a team to go and kill that morkakking Coatzl!"

A group of thickly-armoured Aoarus began got into the lift, heading down. They readied their guns and activated their armours' power feeds.


The first thing that hit Hauetoc when he entered the reaction chamber was a sense of awe. Within the containment bubble, a titanic explosion forced ever outwards, never fading but raging and blinding in magnitude. If that bubble failed...

He moved to the bulkhead leading out, but then saw that he already had his target. One of the containment relays was exposed and damaged, and leaked plasma. Taking aim with his Quazamotl, he fired a series of shots directly into it.

The blasts shook the room and completely shredded the relay, and slowly the bubble began to weaken. The light from inside grew brighter, and Hauetoc recognised the need to get the hell out.

The Aoarus team burst in, and saw the Coatzl flying out towards the exhaust tube. Taking aim, they began to fire their Devourers, and the burning projectiles zipped by him.

Turning, he let off a few shots, and the platform on which they stood collapsed from underneath them. The Aoarus were incinerated by the heat, shields having decayed due to the radiation.

Hauetoc realised now that he would never escape in time. Thanking the Great Serpent for his life and all he had known, he turned to face the Aoarus troopers that poured out onto the gantry, determined to bring an end to their killer.

He was not at all expecting the arrival of a Lochiticlix cruiser, which crashed through the drive tubes and turned its mass drivers on the Aoarus. With a broadside, the far side of the engine room came down, and Hauetoc landed safely on the airlock. He was pulled in, and the cruiser accelerated off as fast as possible. They were pressed against the wall, and the agony was intense. Under the g-forces, his vision began to fail...

But then the Vessarnon's drive core containment failed, revealing for the first time the micronova within. Suddenly free, it enveloped the ship, annihilating everything it touched. It burst outwards, just behind the cruiser and nipping at its tailfins.

It was followed by an immense shockwave, that burst out and crushed all ships along the equator. It impacted the planetary shield, and even at such as distance brought the defences almost to their knees. The planet's moon, facing the explosion, had its surface blasted away and the blackened remains glowed with bubbling lava.

Hauetoc turned to face his rescuers, and saw the crew of the ship staring admiringly at him. Each pair of eyes spoke another story of praise, and he turned away, a little embarrassed.

But then he looked back at them, because they had saved his life, and on his eyes formed his thoughts. He expressed his gratitude as sincerely as he could, and showed them how hopeless he had felt inside.

But then again, they who have the Great Serpent with them can never fail.

See Also