Chapter 8: The Turf Battle at L’Kibera

“I’m telling you that Neo is going to win that next race at Oshun Street Challenge 500 in the following weeks,” officer Gero commented as he kept his steps in check. He was speaking to another officer that was not far from Stone and Ioren.

“Ehh ... are you sure that he isn’t going to get distracted from those shark rider wives of his?” the other officer replied.

It had been the following early morning. The sounds of traffic had become completely devoid the moment that the police appeared. Ioren watched the events that were transpiring. There were at least twenty officers that were walking together by a large moving gray armored car. The clear blue sky above had shown that the rainstorm overhead had finally dispersed.

Ioren and Stone were marching together along with the cops. Each officer was dawned with the best gear that they could acquire. The marine could see that some were armed with heavy-duty armored vests much like what he was wearing. Some had riot shields and pistols on hand. Others had shotguns armed with stun rounds and grenades. Some had fully laden SS-30 carbines in preparation for an all-out war.

The armored car was the most impressive sight amongst the swarms of officers. The M10 was little more than a decommissioned military APC retrofitted for police duty. Yet, it easily towered the men and women consisting of eight wheels over a gray frame. It carried a single turret on the top front that held an assortment of stun weapons, firehoses, and a minigun in the absolute worse of scenario riots and societal mayhem.

The column continued to move forward for what seemed ten minutes. The police had long abandoned all but four of their cars that slowly moved forward. They were providing escort to the armored car. The rest of the police were marching together down the streets of L’Kibera. By now, every pedestrian that saw this group had vacated the area immediately to seek safety. The roads were devoid of people except the very few that wanted to see what was happening. The antiquated and dilapidated buildings were constant reminders that the ghetto neighborhood may see action as of this day.

Stone and Ioren clearly stood out amongst the other police officers as it was before. Ioren was the only Itrean present in which most people had long been used to seeing by now. Stone was the only towering figure that had a pale complexion at the same time. The car took the center of the column while the squads were divided into both sides of the moving vehicle. Stone could overhear a little bit of Gero talking with another officer about things that didn’t concern him. He turned his attention to look at Chief Zuri that proudly walked with his fellow officers. Even with the weight that he had gained, the combined equipment he carried consisted of both a shotgun and carbine that weighed upon his back. It helped identify him amongst the others and the lead role that he had. Lekan led the other group on the other side of the vehicle.

Ioren would tap her makeshift helmet. It was a little bit big for her and couldn’t cover her entire head and neck, but it would have to do. The wobbling movement of her head naturally chaffed and pulled on the head feathers, but she had to do with what she got. Her right ear even ached a little bit from the jutting earpiece and microphone that she knew she couldn’t speak through. But, unlike Rimbastar in the day prior, this could be far worse. Even Stone was wearing a helmet in preparation for the absolute worse. His gloved black hands were always at the ready near his holster. He would carefully monitor the road ahead.

“Neo won’t win against Meifen,” the other officer continued to talk to Gero. “She upgraded her MAR-476 to drive circles around his modded Bandigara. Not to mention Neo’s wife tuned up her SMalery too.”

“You might be right, but Neo still has the experience to win out,” Gero commented.

“I still think it is funny to see him in porn shoots with the whole porn propaganda thing,” another officer jumped in the conversation.

“That’s right,” Gero added. “He still has a kid on the way, right?”

“Kids...” The man corrected him.

Ioren didn’t understand half of what was spoken as her eyes looked up to Stone. She signed the words “Don’t understand” to him in which he comprehended.

“I don’t keep up with sports, so don’t ask me,” Stone sternly told her. “Just a waste of time if you ask me.”

“Hey...,” Gero remarked upon hearing Stone. He looked at the Itrean. “You don’t know about the street races on Oshun? You aren’t a true Oshunian until you see the great races. Their held all the time here. All the great cyclists come to celebrate it.”

“Hmph...” the marine commented. Instead, he remained focused on the street ahead. His augmented eye was scanning the entire surface. He could see brief indications and outlines of hidden pedestrians, but he was looking for any signs of a potential ambush. There was a slight hill that helped block some of the views ahead. It was dead quiet except for the police that was talking.

“You think that they will still come?” Delu asked. There was a hint of nervousness in her voice.

“I’ve been scanning the area,” one of the officers replied to her. “Nothing yet.”

The tension and morale of the police seemed pretty good, but Stone was quite conscious of the scenario. They were coming, and it could be at any time. Ioren seemed more distracted by the random conversations of some of the police.

“So ... Ioren?” Gero asked her. “You happen to know any Itrean friends of yours that are single?”

The Itrean woman replied by quickly pulling out her tilon. She began to type as the program translated her words.

“I don’t know any. Check the UWAN T’rintar dating services sites.”

“Ah ... well ... that is true. Just preferred to meet one in private before jumping to some other world.”

“There are plenty to choose from,” she typed with a sigh.

“Yeah, Gero, go find some Itrean girlfriend here,” Delu added.

“Contact...” Stone said. He saw it as clear as day as another saw it as well. It didn’t take much for things to become clear. A large squad of people was coming over the hill. Their silhouettes were quite obvious.

“Confirmed, I read thirty-five individuals heading our way,” another officer stated.

The marine’s eyes became clear to him as the rest of the police were looking at a large number of people walking in their direction. Most of them were men with the occasional women. Each person was dressed in either brown or black and white. Those dressed in brown were most likely the Forsaken Panthers gang. These individuals usually had pistols, the occasional rifle, or shotgun in hand. A couple of them even had crude machetes that came with their firearms. Their equipment was mediocre, but enough of them could quickly become dangerous in large numbers. Their faces were hard to tell, but knowing the Boer Numbers Gang, the Panthers had their own way of dealing with their neighbors.

And then there was the other group that was part of the incoming gang force. Stone could see them all. Black Star ... they didn’t make the whole numbers of the group, but it was far easier to tell them apart. They walked like soldiers even if they clearly weren’t. Their faces showed a sense of order and absolute terror. They would use their dark complexions by painting the top part of their forehead with white paint and then leaving a black star imprint for each of their members to see. Unlike the Forsaken Panthers, these Black Star mercenaries were better equipped. The lead person in the center, however, was something that made the marine’s eyes go wide before he turned to the chief.

“I count twelve Black Star,” Stone explained. “The rest are the Forsaken Panthers. Most of the Black Stars are armed with SS-30s and PDW-20s that I can at least see from here. It appears that the leader is armed with Mark 4 Power Armor and carrying an M18 Light Assault Machine Gun.”

“What?...” Chief Zuri remarked. He looked at the scene. He could see one of the towering men ahead. Equipped with UHN marine body armor, the power armor suit made the person a walking tank. Like most Martian power armor, it was typically color-coded as brown, but the Black Star individual had done his own coloring. He had painted it with mostly black paint and placed white slashing marks across the chest piece. A skull and white star above it was painted on the top helmet piece. As he walked forward, the suit’s environmental system would keep the interior comfortable for the wearer.

Stone was well aware of this type of system. The armor and strength were unrivaled. On the right side of the armored individual was a long machine gun rifle that was partly connected to his suit. The computer system and camera on the gun were directly linked to the visor inside the helmet. It was designed for raw power in which the belt-fed 50 caliber rounds would round to the wearer’s back in a disk-shaped ammo magazine. It was generally heavy, but the armor suit’s drive system easily allowed it to be held by two hands.

“I suggest we continue forth,” Stone recommended to the chief. “They are well equipped, but the leader who is most likely wearing that power suit is the greatest threat. He or she has the power to do significant damage to the armored car with his gun alone.”

Ioren, who had only been observing, could clearly see the dilemma. These individuals were using a show of force, walking in straight morning daylight as if they didn’t care. In the right environment, they could have quickly decimated the police response at Rimbastar Jewelry. But, while she knew that the police were generally better equipped this time, the opposition was just as significant.

Despite this, the tension was suddenly picking up. Stone held firm as he usually did, but the gang’s attack force relied on sheer numbers. Most of the police force was mentally prepared but hoping that such an event like this wasn’t going to take place. Both sides were in the wide-open, walking down the street to face one another. The armored car certainly helped, as did the four police cars, but even that was questionable in how long it could survive in a one-on-one duel. Even the police cars lacked the armor to block most bullets and only appeared superficially as a show of strength.

Stone continued to look around. They had just reached a street area where there were back alleys to the police team’s left and right. The chief himself even noticed this and raised his hand.

“Team’s halt!” the chief announced in his headpiece. The comms echoed in everyone’s earpiece as everyone came to a complete stop. Even the armored car and police reached a sudden stop.

The approaching gang force walked up and reached within about 60 feet before the lead armored individual held his hand up. Everyone came to a halt and stared at the police force. A few were already flashing their blades and guns, even if the marine knew they were impractical in a fight like this. The Forsaken Panthers were more willing to do this, but Black Star was a different matter. They would give cold stares at the police. The Panthers would flash their tongues and make threatening gestures, but Black Star acted like they knew they could kill everyone that was there. Stone felt unhindered by the sight. He knew the biggest problem that was there. The only thing that bothered him was that the numbers seemed small.

Ioren was not stupid. She was keeping a careful eye on the back alleys. If the shooting started, she and the other police would need to take cover. Shooting in the wide-open was suicidal without cover. The police vehicles and armored car could work, but how many others would be able to do it before she wouldn’t have room?

“Attention Forsaken Panthers and Black Star!” Chief Zuri announced. “You have committed a show of force in L’Kibera and intend to bring violence here. You are to vacate and return to your homes immediately. Failure to do so, and I have the authority and right of the Oshun law to engage you! Therefore, I have instructed all my teams to use deadly force!”

The Forsaken Panthers began to chant in words together. They didn’t step forward but began to bang the butts of their pistols and guns to the road’s surface. The tips of some of the machetes began to tap against the surface, making a metal clinking sound. The words spoken were reminiscent of ancient African tribes of former Earth. Black Star, of course, said nothing in response.

“I will not repeat myself again,” Zuri called out. “Your actions are a gesture of hostility and disruption of peace in L’Kibera! Vacate immediately.”

UHN firearms ... Stone could see more and more of it in his vision. Black Star mercenaries had most of them, but the idea infuriated him more and more. The police had good equipment, but even he knew that the UHN guns were simply better, and they were in the hands of people that only intended to bring harm to another. It was expected in his mind that people would come down to this concept. He wished that one of the military carbines was in his possession so that he could eliminate these thugs.

Ioren, on the other hand, could see something that was in one of the hands of the Black Star mercenaries. It caused her feathers to rise a little bit as she carefully drew out her pistol and pulled out a gray cylindrical device from one of her pouches before inserting it into the bottom barrel of her pistol. The rest of the police had their guns at the ready. The Itrean was no different. She could hear the satisfying hum generated from the weapon as she knew that she was ready just in case the opposing force was going to do it.

“Police team...” the central person in power armor spoke with a deep, tuned, gravelly voice. “My name is Commander Nkechi of the Black Star mercenaries. I speak for the mercenaries and the ones that employ us. We are here for one thing ... the complete annihilation of the Boers Number Gang. You currently stand in our way. Step aside, and you will walk away with your lives.”

“It is you that will die here!” Stone screamed out loud. It caused Zuri to look at him before briefly shaking his head in response. “You have one opportunity now. In the name of the UHN, drop your firearms and walk away ... and you will live!”

“We are here because the Forsaken wish us to be here. Our duties circumvent all of your threats. For that...” the armored individual gave a sign to the others. It caused one of the brown-shirted Panthers to step around the leader. The man had a mechanical-looking augmented hand. He had what looked like a hostage. It was a young woman of some sort, and she had a machete pointed to her throat. Terror had filed her eyes.

“Let us negoti...” Zuri tried to say, but it was interrupted.

“This woman’s name is Penina Rachela,” the leader continued. “She lives in the territory of the Boers Numbers Gang before she was caught hiding in her car. They ... are all a threat to us ... kill her.”

It happened quickly that barely anybody had a chance to respond. The Panther lifted up his machete and did a quick swipe of the sharp blade. It buried deep into her shoulder and back before he kicked her to the street. She tried to scream, but only a small amount of it left her mouth. Amazingly, despite the devastating hit, the woman was tossed to the pavement. Blood was leaking everywhere as the brown-shirted individual only smiled before backing away.

“You see...” The commander explained. “We are here because we are the ones that complete our tasks.” He gave a nod to one of his fellow mercenaries. This male armed with a military shotgun stepped forward next to the man that had blood dripping from his machete. With great surprise, the mercenary butted the person, dazing him before grabbing his machete. Then, with the blade in hand, the mercenary stepped toward the woman that was crawling towards the police. Blood was all over her and the street. Without any care, he stabbed the woman in the back of the head, killing the woman instantly.

As per tradition, the mercenary left the blade embedded into the dead woman. He used the black gloves of his hand and dipped them into the blood while pulling out a cutout of a paper star. He pressed the star to his forehead before using the blood to smear it across his head. When the cutout was pulled away, his head showed red with a non-painted star silhouette on his head. He then returned back to the group. The horror of the event was transpired for the police to see. Even Zuri was outright shocked. The barbarity of the scene didn’t phase Stone, however. He wanted to take them all down.

“For the Forsaken Panthers, they wish that any adversary be dead,” the commander continued. “Leave and let us accomplish our task, and you will be spared.”

“Who did you buy the guns from?” Stone asked him. “Was it the Dragon’s Eye Syndicate? Tell me who hired you?”

The man in power armor turned to look at the marine. He could see the face that hid behind the visor and helmet.

“Our sellers and commissioners wish to remain anonymous,” the commander coldly told him. “We do not break our contracts.”

“Do you expect to win this? Your numbers are small,” Stone demanded. “You’ll be dead ... ALL OF YOU!”

“We will fight until we die, and you assume that this is all our numbers. Another team of my soldiers is heading to their hideout,” he turned to look at the chief. “Leader of the police ... your time has run out. I will not warn you any further.”

“Everyone, stand ready!” Zuri called out. His shotgun was aimed at the crowd in front.

“Then so be it ... Kill them!”

Ioren could see it. Two of the mercenaries pulled out their stick-like grenades. They pressed a button as the mini propellers jutted out. Then, in tandem, they both did an underhanded throw. The instant they were tossed, the propellers spun, and the lobbed grenades began homing in on the police. She could confirm it. These were Itrean seeker grenades. She immediately pressed the button to activate the bottom barrel of her gun and quickly aimed her pistol into the air. She pulled the trigger as the small device loaded in the barrel was ejected high into the air. The decoy grenade, as Stone recognized, was designed to emit a false signature for the seeker grenades to lock onto. Both of the grenades went high up into the air before detonating safely away from the police. Ioren had saved the men and women then and there.

It happened quickly. So much happened ... The Black Star mercenaries immediately aimed and opened fire. The Forsaken Panthers followed suit. The police opened fire in return. Ioren took aim while running to the back of the police car as fast as possible. Stone standing defiantly, raising his powerful handgun, taking quick aim, and pulling the trigger. Most of the individuals were in the wide open, with only a few police officers using their armored car and vehicles for any sense of cover. The gang seemingly didn’t care, but a couple of them ran towards another back alley to grab cover.

Nkechi and the armored car virtually opened fire on each other immediately. The armored car’s turret was armed with a minigun but carried additional weapons. Its gun unleashed a torrent of withering fire onto the Black Star leader. Rounds were splashing against the armor, doing no damage. Meanwhile, Nkechi’s targeting computer had a lock on the center portion of the armored car as he pulled the trigger. Fifty caliber armor-piercing rounds were unleashed from the cannon, producing a light show onto the vehicle’s front section. The bullets were threatening to tear into the armor plating of the armored car.

Stone’s gun fired a decisive round, killing one of the gangsters instantly. Meanwhile, another had aimed a UHN pistol at the marine and was opening fire on him. Two of the rounds struck Stone square in the chest, but the bulletproof vest held. He staggered momentarily, swinging his handgun to the shooter before downing the next suspect. Seeing that he was in the wide-open, even he knew that it was best to seek cover.

It was pure chaos. The battlefield was set. Police officers were having trouble from the beginning stages of the shooting. While better trained than the suspects, the gang had considerable firepower. Two of the officers went down from the military carbines within the first two seconds. The Black Star were the ones that were scoring the hits. The police, on the other hand, was taking out the other gangsters.

Ioren had reached cover using the alleyway corner as make-shift protection. Delu was not far behind her. She had a shotgun at the ready and was unloading into the left portion of the gang lines. The Itrean was using her pistol under her and providing cover fire. She managed to score a hit on one of the Forsaken Panthers that wasn’t armored, hitting him on the shoulder to recoil in pain. In another one of her shots, she swore she hit one of the Blach Star, but the armored vests were holding. Unfortunately, she couldn’t shoot down the mercenaries. Her gun was simply too underpowered.

“Code 2A! Under attack! Need assistance now!” Zuri yelled out on the comms. Stone could hear him calling for help or reinforcements. He could only hope that somebody was listening.

The armored car did manage to use its other weapons. The other barrel opened fire, unleashing two gas shell canisters straight into the gang lines. The shells detonated, producing a powerful concussive shockwave and heavy concentrations of vision-impairing smoke and teargas. The LRAD, a loud sound-emitting device near the vehicle’s rear, was pointed at the gang. It was activated as it produced a high-pitched screech into the enemy’s ears. The Forsaken Panthers were the worst hit. They scattered into different directions while firing almost blindly into the police. The mercenaries were another problem. They were far more prepared and equipped with a variety of protective gear.

At the moment, five of the gangsters were on the ground, dead or dying, but another officer got hit. Struck in the leg by one of the mercenaries armed with a military carbine, the bullet went from one end out the other into the pavement. The handheld shields were almost useless in stopping the armor-piercing rounds.

Stone had managed to get to the right police car to use as makeshift cover. He joined with at least three other officers that were continuing to fire into the gang lines.

“Attention, everyone!” the marine called out to the police. “Those armed with pistols, fire at the brown shirts! Those with shotguns aim for the mercenaries’ legs! Those with rifles, their chests!”

He lifted his head and looked at the lines. The teargas was working for the most part. The one catch was that it was making it hard for the police also to acquire targets. The mercenary leader was strafing while still concentrating fire at the armored car. He was aiming for any portions of the armor that was getting weaker. He must have fired at least fifty rounds by now, successfully hitting and knocking out the LRAD device. The minigun of the M10 was impressive, but the rounds were not strong enough to punch into the power armor. Moreover, it could only fire in short bursts as the bullets would fracture and richocete into random directions.

Stone knew that was his most important target to take out, but his opponent was on the other side, and the car was in the way. If only he could get a clear shot. For now, his augmented eye was able to see through the gas cloud. Red silhouettes would show up routinely. However, he could see one glaring problem. While the Forsaken Panthers were scattering more and more, the mercenaries were barely budging, even stepping forward towards the officers. The marine could see it. They were prepared for an all-out war with the police. Equipped with numerous augmentations, one of them was a special mechanical-looking gas mask that flipped from the bottom of the jaw over the lips, nose, and mouth. Some already had eye augmentations to allow them to track through the gas. Even the pain was something they were enduring quite easily. Stone took aim at one of the mercenaries and fired two shots. Both hit near the center portion of the armor and penetrated well enough that the gunmen went down.

Chief Zuri had enough. Gunfire was everywhere, and he did his part. He had his shotgun and was taking aim at one of the mercenaries that came out of the gas cloud. His OSG-5 had plenty of rounds as he kept pulling the trigger, firing round after round. The stun shots hit the armored vests and administered enough shock to completely taze one of the gang men.

Ioren pressed the magazine release as the empty magazine fell to the pavement below. She pulled out a fresh one and loaded a new clip into the gun before the slide went back forward. As she peeked around, she could still see the continuous shooting taking place. Her reptilian eyes were having a hard time seeing through the smoke, but the unarmored gangsters that fled in her direction were the ones she had to take down. Her pistol did quick work as she fired three rounds into a bald female human that was armed with two UHN pistols. She crumpled to the floor without ever seeing who was shooting at her.

“Armor integrity down to 20%!” the armored car driver yelled out.

“Drive into the bastard!” Stone yelled in the comms. “Even the power armor will have a hard time holding that back!”

“No! Don’t do that!” Zuri replied.

Nkechi was seeing the areas that the armor could no longer hold. One of the 50 caliber rounds finally punched through the frontal armor, causing the bullet to bounce inside the interior, injuring or maiming anything that got in its way. His own power armor did take a slight amount of damage but was still holding. The driver had little choice to make. In a panic, he slammed on the accelerator pedal. The eight-wheeled vehicle drove hard, trying to go straight into the mercenary leader. The damage on the inside, however, seemed to take its toll. There was almost no response in steering, and the leader was already at the edge of the driving path. He narrowly got hit by the vehicle as it plowed into the gang lines. By then, most of the Forsaken Panthers had gotten to a fair distance, but one of them got caught square in the bottom hood. The tonnage of the vehicle was more than enough to crush the person into the pavement altogether.

The armored car that was used for cover had now turned into a runaway vehicle plowing almost straight forward down the street. It was apparent that it was out of control. Perhaps the driver had been gravely injured, or something inside was damaged. Nekchi was still keeping his focus on it. Zuri and two other officers that were exposed ran to use the other police cars as cover.

Stone had a clear view of the mercenary leader as he emptied his powerful handgun into another mercenary. He ejected his magazine and inserted a new one while now focusing all his attention on him. He wanted this man dead. He was the most dangerous person present.

Suddenly, a powerful blast erupted from the back alley ahead of the police. It could be barely seen from the smoke and scattered gang members that were still trying to hold up a fight. Stone was able to see it, as did Ioren and Delu. A shockwave of blue and purple particles erupted from something as a hypervelocity round flew and hit the armored car square in the rear-drive section. It was so powerful that the shell blew in the interior compartment and went clean through the other side into the building. Shrapnel and debris from the wall of the building went in all directions. The armored car went sputtering out of control as it screeched and drove headlong into a store. An explosion, flames, and debris were sent showering in all directions. The sound generated was not loud, but something that Ioren clearly knew what it was.

“A railgun...” Zuri said.

“They have a Shal’rein portable railgun established on the other side of that alleyway!” Stone announced.

This was precisely what Stone knew could happen, and now it was more than evident as he could now see the red silhouette from his position. While the Forsaken Panthers were a glaring threat, the Black Star was even more dangerous. The enemy had heavy-hitting firepower and had declared war on the civilian population of Oshun. Ioren could fully note now that the gangsters did indeed have Itrean firearms and weapons that accompanied these mercenaries. From their angle viewpoint, however, she did know one glaring weakness in the Shal’rein railgun. While they were extremely powerful, they were cumbersome as well. They only had so much time to get it set up. A human would have a hard time even picking them up, let alone trying to establish a clear angle firing line against the police. Regardless, the police needed to avoid going past that area or risked getting blown to pieces by this incredible weapon.

The marine could see it in the Nkechi’s eyes and small visor. The leader had destroyed the most significant threat that the police had against his men, and his focus was on the burning wreckage of the former armored car. Perhaps there was a sense of utter invulnerability with the ongoing weapons fire that was going on. Maybe it was the sheer indomitable will of the mercenaries. The occasional bullet would hit his armor, shrugging off everything that the police had. Black Star would never stop in their contractual obligations. The Forsaken Panthers could clearly see that this battle was questionable at best, even with their superior numbers, but the mercenaries didn’t care. Even with a third of their group shot down, they just kept going. A fatter Black Star mercenary individual had in his possession a military auto shotgun. He got on his knees and proceeded to aim at the legs of the police officers that were holding their shields. Set to burst mode, the heavy-duty shells cut down two officers to the ground as their feet were littered with metal slugs. It would be a few seconds later that the shotgunner would take a bullet straight to the head. Zuri’s rifle clearly made the kill as the chief only gave a nod before finding another target.