Sliding Reality: Chapter 8 Part 6 of 7 (Patreon)

"Ceasefire! Ceasefire! There are civilians with us!" Stephen yelled out.

The weapons fire slowed and stopped.

"Send them out and log out of your bots!" A man yelled back.

"We can't do that," Stephen yelled.

Luke peeked over the planter using squad chat. "They're all marines, human." He ducked back down.

"Then I can't let you leave!"

"Look we don't want to hurt anyone, you leave and we leave, no one needs to get hurt."

"I have my orders."

"Marine, you ever thought about what those orders mean? A Federation cruiser looted and then murdered a station. No better than pirates and the Federation wants to capture this station. I thought you swore to a code, not to piracy."

"You don't know shit!"

"I was in your shoes once! Don't make me a veteran marine that had to shoot a marine!" Stephen yelled, Luke could hear the anguish in his voice. Luke felt hot and cold, his whole body coiled up like a spring, picturing standing up and firing, picturing dying and killing.

"Don't think you can get me with your lies. So what if a ship wiped some station rats. That's our system. Universe is better off without them. Have your civillians step out with their hands up and log off!" The Federation Marine yelled.

"I can't do that! I swore to protect others!" Stephen yelled, changing his positioning.

A rocket shot out of the breach, striking the top of the command post, the blast shoved Luke forward, tearing apart ceiling tile, mangling consoles and blowing out the glass walls of the conference rooms.

Luke flicked to automatic, sending a few bursts through the breach, a detached calm as he separated his mind from the actions happening.

“Dad? Dad! Oh shit, no, no nonono.” Jynx cried out.

Luke’s gut clenched, he wanted to ask, but he knew, part of his brain in hyperdrive.

“Fin, talk to me, what is Brad’s situation?” Stephen’s focus, snapped Luke’s head back, firing at the opening.

“Back in!” Moose yelled.

“Reloading!” Shiro called out.

“Blood, bleeding, he’s uhh, some of the metal, it tore through the wall and hit him. Shit we’re not in gravity.” Fin’s voice warbled, coming out quick and sketchy.

“I’m a trained medic, if you can cover me I can work on him.” Shiro said.

“Dad reload, then we’ll give you covering fire Shiro, dump your mag on full auto.”

“Got it.”

“I’m loaded,” Stephen said.

“Covering fire!”

They opened on the marines. Shiro on full automatic before he popped up grabbing a console and hurled himself to the top of the command post, rounds pinged around him as he fired his jets. Luke didn’t have time to look, his gun clicking empty.

He pulled out a grenade, thumbed and tossed it and a second. “Grenades out! Reloading!” He pulled himself back down to the ground, tossing the empty magazine and slapping in a new one as the two grenades went off.

“I’m at the back, moving to you Jynx and Fin. Luke we’re going to need a pressurization chamber or something to simulate gravity.”

“Got it.” Luke keyed command chat. “Foster, I need a pressurization chamber or something for gravity. Jynx’s dad has been hit.”

“Shit, one of the squads dealing with the marine prisoners, get one of their medic’s that’s not working on anyone. Make sure they have their complete med kit and air sack. Papa one, Mike two and Yankee one, move to the command post, hit the squads attacking the command post in the ass.”

Another rocket shot into the room, hitting a bank of consoles, throwing them across the room, turning into a chaotic zero-g jumble.

Marines rushed in, pushing up to the front. Luke fired at the press of bodies, others in the room used it to press up the levels they’d reached the second and third tier of consoles.

Four more and they’re at Moose, another two and they’re here.

Whenever Luke fired at the breach it seemed they moved up, and whenever he was shooting at them, then more would stream in through the breach.

“Reloading, three mags left! Shiro how is he looking?”

“Not too bad, he got some shrapnel from the rocket, Jynx and I blocked most of it. Still I want to get him checked out for internal injuries. He’s not clotting properly and losing blood fast in this zero-g. Fin, take Jynx and Stuart to the room over.”

“Shiro,” Jynx’s voice filled with vitrol and anger.

“Now!” Shiro’s voice brooked no argument.

“This way, come on.” Fin said.

“Reloading, these fuckers have me pinned.” Moose said. “I’m moving positions.”

More marines were getting a foothold and advancing towards him.

Luke’s rifle ran empty.

“Reloading too,” He tossed the magazine and loaded a new one quickly, moving to a new firing port.

“Two mags left! Back in.” He looked through seeing a console being hurled towards him, blocking the view.

“Only say back in once you’re firing again,” Stephen said.

Luke shot the console, sending it spinning away, marines fired on him as he returned fire, being thrown to the side as a round hit his shoulder, pushing him up out of cover.

Another burst hit him in the chest, smashing him against the console behind him.

Stephen grabbed him and pulled him down.

“Echo One, this is Papa one, we’re at your location, moving to engage!”

“Come on then you fuckers, I’ll show you what a real marine can do!” Moose yelled.

Luke moved to the firing slit, marines were rushing up the consoles, he fired on them, Moose was amongst the marines rushing him, he kicked one, sending them careening into a wall as he hit a console, planting his magnetized foot to the floor to clock another Marine’s helmet, breaking several of the scopes on their head.

Luke’s rounds sent rushing marines firing, his magazine running dry, he stood, using his gun like a club, hitting a Marine, who shot at him.

The Marine went off spinning as Luke’s body spun against his mag-feet. He grabbed his last grenade and tossed it as hard as he could down at the breach.

“They’re getting past us, Fin! Jynx!” Luke yelled out.

Rounds tore out over the top floor, throwing marines back.

Luke was thrown to the side, a boarding axe, hitting him in the neck.

He was pushed to the ground, someone hacking at his neck.

He punched hem in the leg, hearing them cry out, a gun barrel was pressed against his head.

[You died]

Luke panted, seeing the screen. He raced through menus. “They got me! I’m coming back.”

“They’re surrendering, hold your fire, hold your fire!” Stephen yelled out.

Luke zoomed right in on the map, seeing the Federation Marines throwing their weapons away and holding their hands up. Four squads moved through their rear, two staying back and securing the breachers that were outside the command post, others pushing inside.

“Dad, can you fix my bot?” Luke asked.

“Your head isn’t attached.”

“Stick it in place and use the repair tool, the thing that I used to make the holes.”

“Moose you good?” Stephen asked.

“My bot is working.”

“Get a CCP setup, see if the Marines have some medics to get people sorted out.”

“Make sure it is out in the hallway, we don’t know if they’ll cap Sphere World if their inside the command post.” Luke said in a lurch.

“Got it,” Moose said.

Luke’s bot returned to white. Luke clicked it, looking up at his father using the repair tool on his neck.

“Don’t move so much, its barely on. Needs to be rebuilt, but should stay on for now.” Stephen stepped back and reached down.

“Thanks,” Luke took the hand and rose to his feet. Bots were tearing ammunition and weapons off of marines, throwing them up into the blown out offices.

Moose was yelling down in the bottom, his arm missing, head tilted oddly and his knee joint hitching as he moved, going through the breach in the command post’s door.

People were groaning, or crying or giving hiccupping hissing breaths.

Bots used their jets taking wounded down through the door and using the marines own cuffs on them.

“Shiro you’re good to bring Brad down, Dad could you go with them?”

“Sure,” he touched off towards the offices.

“Fin, Jynx, you stay with Stuart, we’re clearing out the marines now.” Luke found his rifle, grabbing it, it was scuffed and dented, but functioning.

He loaded his rifle, his Dad and Shiro returning. Brad was pale, covered in blood. Luke followed them. Consoles had been dented and scarred with the firefight, pepper with weapons fire and grenades.

Consoles were broken mess of circuitry.

Bodies were being pushed to the side. Blood, thick and sticky marred Luke’s bot, the walls and consoles. Casings floated in every direction with a thousand bits of war-debris.

Wounded were pushed through the doorway quickly.

A bot grabbed onto Shiro and pushed him through, then Brad and Shiro keeping the speed. Luke was tossed through coming out to see more marines with their helmets taken off, their cuffs magnetized to the walls.

“Down that way into the offices.” A bot said.