Sliding Reality: Chapter 8 Part 5 of 7 (Patreon)

“Sixth Fleet has surrendered.” Sally said. “Four corvettes and one destroyer destroyed, two Corvettes and three destroyers damaged in a way to create heavy operational issues, remaining destroyers, Cruiser and flagship received minor damage.”

“The marines aboard the station?”

“They are still on the move, they’re moving through the factories to close with the habitable sections of the station, they’re focusing their attack on this location.” Sally’s voice gaining some of her usual timbre.

“That fucker,” Brad kicked the console, the mag boot getting stuck for a half second before he ripped it away.

“What?” Jynx asked.

“He surrendered when he saw that we would tear his fleet apart. That we weren’t bluffing. Though he didn’t call for his marines to surrender, they’re still coming for us, if they can get Brad or Stuart then they get Sphere World.” Stephen filled in for Brad eyeing the console for another kick.

“He’s got his head in the lion’s mouth, we can shoot at his fleet that has surrendered and destroy them, but it won’t stop the marines that are rushing through the station.” Stephen faced Brad and Stuart. “He’s betting on you being good people to save the lives of his people and win this battle.”

“Who are you?”

“Stephen, Luke’s father.”

“Ah,” Brad made the connection and nodded.

“Hello Uncles,” Fin stepped forward.

“Of course you would be here Fin,” Stuart smiled.

“Marines at entrance four,” A squad leader called out on command chat.

Luke pulled up his map turning three dimensional and widening it. Shiro and Moose looking over his shoulder.

“Federation Marines are attempting to enter through the different access points to the habitat.” Luke relayed through his speakers.

“They opened fire on us at entrance three, returning fire,” A squad leader said in a grim voice.

“They’re testing for weaknesses,” Moose pointed to groups moving away from the entrances. “They’ve got splinter groups moving out.”

“Pin down the defenders at the doors and breach behind them,” Stephen looped his hands into the plating at the top of his chest.

“They need to move quick, they don’t have much time and they’ve only got the forces on the station.” Shiro said.

Stephen pulled up a map of the station, red dots moving through its immense bulk. “They’re pulling the other forces to reinforce the attack here. Are there any defenders at the other sites?”

“No.” Luke said.

“Basically told them where we are,” Moose exhaled.

“Nothing to do but deal with it now.” Shiro said.

“We’re right at the core of the station, everything leads to us.” Stephen said.

Dull thumps could be heard in the distance.

“Breaches.” Moose pointed at several locations as dots moved into the habitat.

Markers from the other squad leads showed fighting at all entrances into the main habitat.

Luke keyed his command chat.

“Foster this is Echo one squad lead, we have multiple breaches inside the habitat, Marines are converging on our position in the command post. We’re going to need support.”

“Juliet three, Sierra two, take your squads and hit the breachers from behind.” Foster snapped out.

“Moving.”

“That’s all I can spare right now, we’ve got more people logging on.”

“Gotcha, we’ll hold out.” Luke ran an eye over the command post.

“How are things looking?” Fin asked.

“We’ve got two squads moving to support us, we’re it for now.”

“You want me to weld the door?” Shiro asked.

“Do it.”

Shiro pulled out his repair tool, disengaged his boots and jumped for the door.

“To crack a command post they’re going to test out the explosive breaching charges and then use the plasma breaching charges afterwards.” Moose said, Stephen nodded.

“It melts through the metal, once it breaches it fires a shaped charge that blows the section in and throws the plasma into the room. Then they’ll probably hurl in grenades after that.”

“The walls and door are thick enough that they’re not going to be able to throw them to the side so they’re going to toss them straight in.” Stephen said.

Luke looked away from the door, behind the upper level of the command post lay conference rooms, bathrooms.

“Jynx, Fin, you take Brad and Stuart back there.” Luke pointed.

“Got it.” Fin launched himself in that direction.

“If we break into two and position ourselves midway up the command post, that gives us plunging fire on the door. When they’re coming in they’re going to have to be looking up, not at their feet and there’s going to be shit everywhere.” Moose said.

“More to trip on, and it takes more time to look up than it does to look down.” Stephen said.

“If we’re split on different levels they can’t suppress us at the same time.” Luke said.

“Going to have to watch our ammunition, easy to burn through it quick. Make sure to call out when you’re reloading and when you’re loaded and back in.” Stephen checked his magazines.

“Single fire only then. We can cut holes in the consoles with our tools to make firing positions too.” Luke waited for anything else.

“Dad you’re with me on the left, Shiro and Moose you take the right side.”

They moved down into the rows of consoles. Shiro nearly done with the door. Moose was down two rows from Luke and Stephen, cutting out holes in the bottom of the metal consoles to shoot through.

Luke crouched next to a console, using his repair tool.

“Make a few holes so we can move between positions,” Stephen said.

“Sure, can you check the other side to see how high I am? If I can get it lower then the consoles in the next row down will give us more cover.”

“Good idea.”

They worked quickly, cutting out holes.

“Door is done!” Shiro pushed off and headed over to Moose.

“Good work.” Luke checked his work.

“I think that’s about as good as we’re going to get.” His dad used the zero-g to flip over the console and next to Luke.

“Sally?” Luke called out.

“Yes?”

“Are you still requesting their surrender?”

“Yes, all throughout the station. Several Federation squads have surrendered.” Up against people that had no fear of death, that could call out information even if they were dead and could come back as long as they had a new bot. It spoke to the Marine’s determination that they were still in the fight.

“How many are there aboard the station?”

“Approximately three hundred marines. They have reached the doors.”

Luke tensed, bringing up his map, keying squad chat.

“We’ve got around twenty at the door.” He moved to see where the other squads were. “The two squads that were sent to support us are fighting other marine squads inside the habitat.”

“So we’re on our own,” Jynx said.

“For now.”

“Get ready.” A shiver ran through Luke at his father’s voice, checking his rifle he looked through a firing hole.

The metal bloomed growing shinier along four lines and spreading out to reach one another, creating rounded shape around its outline, light peeked through in several spots.

“Look away,” Stephen said on command chat.

Luke blinked the outline out of his eyes when the door exploded, shooting a meter long plug of metal into the command post.

Luke jerked, looking at the new doorway, balls were thrown out above the consoles.

“Grenades!” Shiro yelled.

Luke ducked as they exploded, peppering the consoles. He came up to see Marines rushing through the breach.

He shoved his rifle through the opening and fired.

Rounds snapped back from the breach, switching targets between those slumped and those firing.

He pulled the trigger, finding himself out of rounds, almost stunned.

“Reloading!” He changed magazines.

“Conserve your ammo!” Stephen yelled.

Luke nodded, his mouth dry. How did I go through fifty rounds? He tried to swallow, hitting the release.

He noticed that dull noise in the background was rounds hitting the cover around him.

“Frag out!” Shiro yelled.

Luke gritted his teeth, moving before he really recognized it, before he had time to be scared. Looking through a new firing hole and firing down at the marines that had established a foothold in the command post.

Movement, fire a few rounds to keep their heads down, marine in the breach, shoot, slumped, movement there, fire in the console. One popped out.

The grenade went off, over the end console and before the door. Yells and screams filled his ears, someone tried to slip around a console and up another level. Luke fired at them. Just stay the fuck down there!

“Reloading!” Moose called out.