"Hey.

When we're older, let's go there.

Together.

There's so much out there.

Let's see them together.

Promise?"

A single promise, made hundreds of times over, from the same spot on the old rooftop, by the same girl to the same boy. A promise that formed the bedrock of his childhood.

'Kaya, I guess I'll be breaking that promise,' thought an auburn haired man. With trembling hands, the late teen clasped his rifle tightly, as the station he was in trembled from the force of the Bloody Dawn's barrage.

"Repeat: This is not a drill. Sierra Minor has fallen. Prepare for assault by the enemy."

'I saw them from closer, though. They were so, so beautiful'

He was wrenched to his feet by a large pair of hands. In front of him, he saw the face of his regimental commander, shouting words that he could not hear.

The station shook once again, this time more ferociously than the others.

The commander said something once more, before racing around the nearest corner of the long hallway.

"Gus. Gus. GUS!"

A soldier, whose face was hidden by the display of the tactical helmets, rammed a helmet into Gus's body.

"They're boarding us with Shenia. Get a move on."

Shenia. The short, thin, tailed creatures of the Bloody Dawn, used exclusively as scouts and fodder.

'Kaya, I'm sorry.'

He rounded the corner and saw the battle unfolding. Immediately, his helmet's Tactical display lit up with many symbols, each informing him of an aspect of the unfurling conflict.

Shenia poured out of the breach in the wall at the end of the hall in endless numbers.

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"A conquest shuttle?!"

"How many of them are there?!"

"This is the end!"

Numerous cries rang out amongst the ranks of the defenders as the overwhelming swarm of Shenia advanced. Their quick assault bore quick success, as they drove the defenders back through the brutal pain of their short-ranged, kinetic spitter rifles.

Calls to retreat rang out from the front of the line.

"They have kinetics. Our shields are worthless!"

"Get those fugging turrets online!"

Communication data streamed into Gus's TacDis confirmed that his section of the station wasn't isolated in the assault. Despite the large number of Bloody Dawn on board, the incessant barrage of fire incoming from the ships outside the station continued to rain down, showing no signs of stopping.

Gus took a deep breath before raising his weapon and adding the shots of his M1-LL rifle to the chaos. Thankfully, each successful hit from the standard issue weapon resulted in a dead Shenia.

'We're lucky the Bru'uka aren't here too...'

Just as he finished the thought, large creatures, armed with the Brute hybrid, a weapon hastily named by Terra's scientists after they found it doubled as a shotgun and blunt melee weapon, entered the breach and joined the assault.

Their dark, furred skin caused them to blend into the darkness caused by the destruction, appearing only thanks to the fires that erupted and the flashes of gunfire.

In the front of the small pack, a larger, four-armed creature led its comrades forward with a ferocious savagery.

Gus chuckled nervously, knowing the fate of the station was all but sealed with their appearance.

'Why did I have to think that.'

"Bru'uka... and a Bru'uka Primia..."

"WE NEED THOSE GUNS!!"

Klaxons rang through the halls of the dying station.

"Shields failing! Shields failing!"

The shocks from the barrage became more and more volatile, now connecting with the station with more of their energy still intact.

Explosions erupted through the ship, adding even more chaos to the already hectic situation.

The fire of the humans continued, even as the enemy advanced. Shots lashed down the hall at their enemies, even as their commanders were broken before their eyes by the hands of the monstrous Bru'uka. Once their enemies came too close for their weapons to be effective, they drew their heavy shockblades and engaged the foe in futile melee combat, determined not to forfeit their lives for no good reason.

With the appearance of the high calibre turrets from the ceiling, their efforts were rejuvenated.

Holding at the end of the corridor, behind a fortress made of the bodies of their friends, the soldiers began to turn the tide of battle.

"Let it be known, that the station died before the soldiers did."

Explosions ripped the ship open, throwing many people in many directions. Countless lives were lost to the cold embrace of space before the backup field could be engaged.

Gus, who lost his helmet in the force of the explosion, slammed his head into a wall of the ship. As he began losing consciousness, he saw the Bru'uka advance on his helpless comrades.

"Let it be known, the soldiers of Sierra died deaths that we could only aspire to.

Their sacrifice gave the Orcas time to advance.

Their sacrifice saved us."

Words, spoken to honour the memory of the fallen, ended up leaving only yet another in a long line of wounds on the collective of humanity.