Like thunder the guns roared. Like quakes the mechanical feet stomped.

Under the orange sky the Scrap-Dunes came to life with battle around a large natural rock formation turned massive fortress.

It was six ELUs against eight. The six belched CO2 into the atmosphere from their rusted exhaust pipes as each ran from scrap-heap to scrap-heap; taking cover from the eight firing their canon-sized guns atop their fortress of rock and metal emplacements. The six fired sparse pot-shots against their enemies.

The leader of the six, Master Protector Finjac inside his 12 ft. tall, broad-shouldered ELU named Broad Dog, called to his Protectors using his speaker system; a dangling hand-piece he yelled into;

"Protectors of Eondai," the crackling voice emitted, "remember why we're here! Our people back at home need this fort's water reserve! Advance!"

Finjac brought up Broad Dog's massive, thick-pauldroned arms and aimed his belt-fed rapid-fire canon atop the rock wall; the gun furiously bellowed as the shots rang out. The patter of bullets sounded against Broad Dog's massive shoulder mounted shield which covered a good portion of the ELU as he put it forward.

His Protectors advanced; each a uniquely built ELU in its own right. They fired their rifles, their canons and their bolt-shooters. They walked slow and delivered their volley.

Protector Yef-bi emerged from his cover; the mechanical arms creaking as he aimed his pistol high. A muted boom. A smoke-trailed bomb fell and detonated against his short ELU's body. The screeching of rent metal sounded throughout the battlefield next to the cracking explosion. Yef-bi's blood as well as that of his Boltjacks exploded alongside the fuel of his ELU as it crashed backwards; joining the Scrap-Dunes.

Broad Dog's joints moaned with the kickback of his tumultuous heavy machine gun. Two of the eight defending ELUs fell; one was ripped apart from the center out due to the sheer weight and force of the ammunition and another's arm was ripped clean off. The first fell backward as the second fell forward and down the 50 ft. drop with a reverberating crash.

Finjac turned and saw from his 180 degree view slit the remains of Yef-bi. He grabbed his hand-piece;

"For every one Protector killed, slay three of the bastards!" He yelled.

One Protector wielding a bolt-shooter fired a massive 4 ft. long 1 ft. diameter steel rod; striking clean through one of the fortress defender's bodies. The ELU was jolted backwards; twitching madly as its systems overloaded with a bright flash and an ear-splitting explosion.

"Get down!" Finjac called.

A mushroom cloud erupted from the impaled ELU as boulders from the rock wall alongside the ELU's remains flew in all directions. Broad Dog leapt in front of the closest Protector; shielding him from a massive boulder just before it hit. Broad Dog suffered severe damage to his right arm.

One Protector in a stout 10 ft. ELU was too slow to turn and run as he was bombarded by debris and boulders; his arm was crippled and his right leg below the knee-joint severed. Another boulder hit the rear of his ELU. He fell forward with a creaking smash into the Scrap-Dunes.

After the blast, Finjac looked up through his view slit and saw that the remaining defenders either fell or retreated inside the fortress; his ELU's right arm limp at his side and barely clutching his gun.

"Protectors sound off! Finjac, Aye!"

"Weylion, Aye."

"Jaulf, Aye."

"Job-khon, Aye."

The crippled Protector's voice erupted from the radio of the ELU named Stoutspark; "Lackayo, Aye. I'm alright. Neither of my Boltjacks survived. Fucker blowin' up shot out my leg. I can't get up."

Finjac surveyed the land. He needed a place where some of the other Boltjacks could do repairs but the treacherous Scrap-Dunes weren't a place for humans. It was the realm of the ELUs.

At the base of the rock formation was an embankment of dirt and rocks. They would be right below the fortress wall and out of sight.

Finjac's deep and resounding voice came from his speakers "Job-khon, Jaulf; carry Stoutspark over to that embankment. Weylion, see what you can salvage from Yef-bi's ELU for repairs. Spare some Boltjacks and stand watch."

The Protectors did as they were told and in time they all stood in the shadow of the fortress. Finjac powered down his ELU and it crouched as it popped and jolted into rest.

Inside the rust behemoth's body, Finjac sat and piloted in the front with a series of gauges, levers, maneuvering sticks, switches, dials and black computer screens with pixelated green letters. The cockpit was a small extension from the front hull; heavily armored.

Behind the pilot's seat was a ladder to the top access hatch. Behind this were two more seats holding two teenage boys; Jakabi and his friend Keppian beside him. Behind them at the very back was the ELU's massive engine. On either side of the hull were the shoulder mounts, and directly beneath those on the bottom were the hip mounts.

"Boltjacks!" Finjac called out; his voice was gravelly yet strong.

Jakabi shot up; "Yes-Yes, Master Protector?"

The Boltjack looked at the Pilot. His reddish-brown sepia skin shone with sweat. It was sweltering within an ELU, so pilots and Boltjacks got used to being shirtless while inside. His muscles tensed and flexed as he performed the final stages of the shutdown procedure by pulling levers and flipping switches. He turned in his seat and Jakabi looked into his aged face. He had dark brown eyes and a graying black beard. His head had a buzz-cut beneath his bandanna.

"Right arms busted; the joint and forearm units took a pounding. See what you can do."

Jakabi nodded the two Boltjacks climbed the ladder and out the hatch. They both climbed down the metal ladder attached to the rear side of the hull and found their trunk hatch at the bottom of Broad Dog. Unlatching it, the two Boltjacks took out their toolboxes, belts and leather welding shirts.

They luckily were in shade, so the heat was not as bad as it was in the sun. The other Protectors' Boltjacks got out of their ELUs and did maintenance checks and repairs; even as they strode and kept watch. Boltjacks hung from ladders and handholds; grappled swinging legs and arms as they welded, hammered and drilled pieces back into place. Some had to get on the roofs of the ELUs in order to fix some of the sensors and shoulder mounts. It wasn't the Pilot's job to make sure the Boltjack didn't get crushed or maimed.

Jakabi and Keppian had it easy along with some other Boltjacks as they worked on Stoutspark and Broad Dog; both were shutdown. Jakabi winced as he saw the two dead Boltjacks in Stoutspark get lugged out and buried in the embankment. A quick word was said by the pilots as the other, more senior Boltjacks simply worked on the leg and arm. He decided just to focus on Broad Dog. Keppian salvaged scrap from the Dunes as Jakabi put on his goggles, pulled his bandanna over his face and went to work.

It didn't take long; it was a simple forearm frame replacement. Overall it took twenty minutes and they were finished.

Jakabi sat and wiped the sweat off his brow as his friend sat beside him on the embankment. He handed him a piece of flatbread as he bit into his own.

"Thanks," Jakabi said in his light voice.

"No problem, Jak" Keppian returned; his voice near as light and young as Jakabi's.

He took a bite. "How much water you think is in there, Keppian?"

"Not enough."

They both chuckled. It helped to laugh at it all. They paused as both thought of the same thing.

Jakabi said "Lackayo's and Yef-bi's Boltjacks, they didn't..."

"I know."

They were silent the rest of the break.

"Keppian!" Finjac called as he walked up to them a minute or so after; wiping grease from his hands with a rag.

Keppian stood straight; "Yes, sir?"

"You're getting moved on over to Stoutspark. Lackayo needs a Boltjack."

Keppian nodded and looked at Jakabi. "See you at home, Jak."

"You too, man."

The Protectors packed up and reactivated themselves; the Boltjacks all finished their repairs and now was the time to finish what they started. Stoutspark's leg had been replaced, looking mismatched from his other, and was working as fine as it could. Jackayo constantly complained about how slow Stoutspark was over the years, but little could be done for the aging ELU.

Weylion addressed Finjac; his dead voice in a low tone over his crackling speakers "sir, I don't like this."

"What is it?"

"They could have come looking for us but they didn't. I'm no fool. I would have prepared an ambush at the gate or somewhere in the fortress if I decided not to take us on when we were only three strong."

Finjac paused as he considered it.

"All Protectors prepare for possible close combat encounters!" He declared.

"Aye!" His Protectors called.

The mechanical suits marched around the perimeter of the stone fortress, finding a huge cleft in the stone face which led inside. A massive gate of scrap was erected here, though there were no guards to speak of.

Finjac motioned with Broad Dog's hand and Job-khon's ELU named Tail-ripper walked to the gate. Tail-ripper's legs were short yet sturdy and heavily armored, and his arms were the same however much longer and equipped with joint-pistons and stronger alloy frames; allowing him to deal with much heavier loads. Planting his feet and anchoring them down with their attached toe-claws in the dirt ground clear of scrap, he grabbed one of the double doors to the gate and ripped it off with ease; the wrenching creak of splintering and bent metal sounded as both gate doors fell and the Protectors moved in; Tail-ripper following behind with his Bolt-Launcher out once more.

The rock fort was an abnormal shape, though it most resembled a horseshoe with the gate being the only entrance the Protectors knew of. Atop the wall were various buildings of scavenged metal meant to provide defenders, both human and ELU alike, with cover. Massive lifts were constructed alongside stairs for defenders to ascend and descend the wall. Inside the fort were various squat buildings, garages and storehouses. The ground was completely uncovered. An old stone well was in the center. The sun shone on most of the fort.

No one was in sight. The roar of their own engines made it difficult to hear much.

Finjac called out on his speakers; "Job and I will take point; our armors thickest. Everyone else, keep both your long-range and melee options handy. I ain't taking the water reserve until I know there isn't anyone skulking around. Job, you and me."

"Aye!" they acknowledged and Tail-ripper advanced and took his place beside Broad Dog as the rest went behind. Broad Dog produced from a sheath on his right leg an ELU combat knife. Tail-ripper produced from his forearms retractable blade-hooks which extended past his hands.

They took their place just at the mouth of the fort. They waited.

Nothing moved.

Nothing made a sound.

Heavy metal footsteps.

From a shadowed area to the left an ELU charged at Broad Dog with a large circular saw weapon; an echoing clash. Stoutspark managed to down it with his rifle before it got too close. It crashed and skidded a few feet forward as the precision shot passed and whizzed through the cockpit. Three more ELUs came from in front of them; they were hidden behind buildings and as they came back to life the Protectors knew why they didn't see any smoke at first. Their ELUs were in even worse shape than the Protectors'. Their limb frames were mostly uncovered and many wires along with their engines were exposed. They popped and jolted with every moment. How were these people even piloting such trashcans?

One brought up its arm-canon to bear as the other two charged forward with blade and saw-arms.

Broad Dog and Tail-Ripper each thundered to their respective side and engaged one of the chargers; allowing the firing line of their three comrades to be open.They fired and the canon-armed ELU crackled and split with horrible metal screeching as it was ripped apart from the massive volley. It managed to fire a single smoke-trailed shot which misfired up and exploded into the internal side of the wall just above the gate as its husk crumbled back. A massive rumbling.

"Look out!" crackled Weylion's intercom; hardly audible above the noise.

The three leaped forward from the rock slide. Stoutsparks' slower frame tripped on one of the rocks and was consumed in the slide; the cacophonous crashing and slicing of metal hurting everyone's ears as Lackayo reached out his robotic hand in a plead for fate to have mercy.

Finjac heard and screamed in sheer anger as he was locked in a grapple with an enemy ELU.

Jakabi held onto his small seat as they were jostled. Each delivering blow after blow from their awkward positions; Broad Dog hardly able to use his knife. The foe ripped its circular saw-arm from Broad Dog's grip and thrust it into his left side. Jakabi shot to the right as the circular saw thrust and penetrated the hull right next to him; sparks from metal on metal collision burning his forearm as he covered his face.

Finjac screamed louder in fury as he locked eyes with the enemy pilot through eachothers' view slit and window. All he could see were the white desperate eyes of a man who had scant to defend; framed by the cockpit's darkness and green light from his computer screens. Finjac didn't care. Broad Dog shoved him off.

"No one hurts my Boltjacks, fucker!"

The 8 ft. scrawny framed ELU stumbled back as the towering giant took his combat knife and thrust it deep into the cockpit. Sparks flew. The arms desperately waving to maintain balance fell limp as it crashed back. Broad Dog thrust the blade over and over into the ELU; getting on top of its body. Finjac wouldn't stop screaming.

"Die!"

"Die!"

"Die!"

Weylion and Jaulf pulled him off.

"Fin, Its over! They're dead!" Job-khon screamed over the intercom as he walked from the one he ripped in half. He retracted his hook-blades as the exhaust fuming ELUs stomped and came together.

Blood and viscera from the pulped pilot stained the knife alongside the hairline scratches from the ELU's hull. Broad Dog put it back in its sheath and Finjac was silent for a minute. He collected himself.

"Protectors sound off! Finjac, Aye!"

"Weylion, Aye."

"Jaulf, Aye."

"Job-khon, Aye."

Silence once more.

Jakabi didn't hear Lackayo?

"Master Protector? What about Lackayo?"

Finjac made no noise.

"What about Lackayo?" desperation tinged his voice. Tears stung his eyes.

Finjac let out a sigh after a moment more and turned in his seat to look the dark bronze young man in his tear soaked, light russet-brown eyes.

He simply said "The Dust Takes All. The Rust Eats All." Finjac turned back around.

Jakabi twitched and jolted from the sudden loss of his friend Keppian as he, as silently as possible, wept into his gloved hands.