prologue

Justice rolled to his feet and whipped around to scan the area.He knew the dealer would be back for another pass and this time he would be ready."Half a clip left",he thought to himself as he inspected his SAR-55,or more lovingly referred to as "the shredder".

The SAR-55 was a fully automatic assault rifle that fired small caliber,razor sharp rounds and would literally shred targets to bits.This was also the standard issue weapon of every Spectre in the field.

Justice hunkered down and darted behind a nearby tree for cover as he heard the humming sound of the Dealer returning for a second pass.He knew that sound all to well,multiple encounters with these deadly machines had helped embed the sound in his head forever.

Dealers,also known as "Death Dealers",were soulless machines programmed to kill.They were the Black Reich's third arm and responsible for wiping out entire nations.

The Dealers were very efficient killers.Their ultra-sensitive sensor systems were able to detect incoming fire,determine the exact point of impact and activate shields in the exact area of impact to conserve system power.As it topped a tree covered hill for it's return pass the Dealer's sensor system screamed as it detected multiple incoming projectiles.After determining that the attack was machine gun fire from a SAR-55,the highly advanced cpu activated the shields in the exact spot that each round would impact.In the instant that the Dealer had detected the shots,it began scanning for the attacker.As the shields deflected the shots the forward cameras detected a SAR-55 mounted to a tripod.

Immediately the Dealer fired the left side thrusters,attempting a hard right bank to avoid the incoming human lifesign detected in the last instant.

After years of battling the Dealers,Justice had learned that their greatest strength was also their greatest weakness.Being machines may have made them very efficient killers,but it also meant they lacked the instincts that come from flesh and blood.A living being would have known to expect a trap on the second pass when the first was unsuccessful.A living being would have known to expect the unexpected.But this was a machine and all it knew was to deal with threat in front of it,not the hidden threat coming from the side.

Justice drove his blade into the underbelly of the Dealer and didn't stop until the blade exited the rear.He turned just in time to watch the Dealer spin out of control as the machine crashed into a nearby clearing.

As he approached his downed enemy,Justice noticed the red light in the Dealer's "eye" fade out as the machine "died."Justice clicked on his com,"Dealer eliminated,Spectre requesting pick up."Justice heard a rough voice come back over the intercom,"Roger that,Spectre,dropship omega inbound."

Moments later the familiar sound of the dropship's propulsion system could be heard as it topped the nearby treeline,it was a most welcome sound.As the dropship omega touched down,Justice scanned the perimeter for any hidden threats.Satisfied that the area was safe Justice boarded the dropship.

After strapping himself in,Justice tried to relax and get a little rest during the ride back to the flagship.As he sat there he couldn't help but think about the events that had previously transpired,about the object he had been sent to retrieve and now resided in the container on his side.Although he did not know what it was,he secretly hoped it was something that would help to end this war.This was a pleasent thought,one he would use to help ease his mind during his trip.