The journey we all take

I was just cresting the hill when I eased off the jetpacks, I could feel the heat thru the power armor cladded to my back.

There he was, taunting me on the horizon, again. He was nimble and I was struggling to keep up. With a deep breath I descended down the hill towards my target, gaining speed as my anti-grav insulator did its work.

At the bottom of the hill I was doing close to 150km/h when I instinctively braced for the kick-up-the-arse in the form the jetblast as I hammered the throttle. Alitmeter rose, I armed my fusor as I saw the horizon again, no sight of that stinky derm.

Radar revealed nothing, comms were dead quiet, but I knew that derm had to be around here somewhere, I could feel the hairs on my back tingle as I realised he was right behind me, hiding in a nook of the summit. I was trapped!

Slowly I turned around, until I got a full view of the derm, standing alert.

"Put down your fusor newblood! That won't help you here!"

"You are quick and sneaky for a derm" I retorted as I threw the Stormhammer to the ground in front of me.

His lips bared teeth, "You still have much to learn my sardine-tin-friend, you're skilled, but skill won't save you here - You need honour!
There is more to this existence than kill-or-be-killed. There is wisdom amongst the older warriors, something you will share one day."

I felt like I had my pants around my ankles, yet enlightened.

I can still remember his voice to this day: patient, precise and well practiced. I have not seen this derm for ages, but I know he's teaching the old code somewhere out there. I have much respect for him, the one they call XPENDABLE!