Fleet Lord Skald sat glued to his computer watching and listening to the search taking place on the surface below. The shooter who had nearly killed him twice had been flushed out of hiding along with his partner and they were now on the run. No single human could stop the Sharlah invasion but this individual had caused considerable damage to the local operations and Skald would see him pay the price for that.
"Fleet Lord, the landing parties are facing armed resistance in the city." The Harvester's communications officer relayed more bad news to him with a hint of fear in his voice.
"From Whom?" Skald growled deeply.
"Unknown. It could be pockets of humans that were missed during the sweep or humans who escaped camp 2. There are casualties but they are light."
Skald bared his teeth at the mention of the fallen camp. If he hadn't wanted to capture the sniper alive, he would give the order to pull back and level the entire city. It wouldn't have been the first time that a Sharlah fleet was pushed to do such a thing. Sometimes a message needed to be sent.
"We are detecting a repeating transmission from a warehouse complex in the direction that he escaped." The comms officer reported.
Skald sat up straighter in his command seat. "What did it say?"
"Unknown. It is encrypted. It seems to repeat every thirty minutes."
"Converge the search parties to that location. Surround them."
----------------------------------------
Connor and Liz stumbled up the stairs of the office building, straining under the weight of their gear. Liz pushed from behind when he slowed down.
"Come on, a few more flights. You can make it." She gasped and he didn't reply, he only pumped his legs and gripped the railing harder. She could see a red streak on the opposite side where his shoulder had brushed the wall.
They finally reached the top floor and Connor pushed through the double doors at the top but was hit hard in the chest and tumbled back through them, knocking Liz backward onto the staircase again. She clutched at the railing and caught herself from falling but didn't have the strength or energy to pull herself and her pack back upright.
Connor reeled from the blow but managed to scramble back to his knees, his exhausted legs burning like they were covered in acid. He whirled on the double doors and reached for the 12 guage that had clattered to the ground beside him but stopped short. An alien creature that he had never seen before was standing in the doorway with arms spread, gun in each hand leveled at them.
"You have come to the wrong place humans. There is no safety for you here." It said to Connor and motioned back down the stairs.
"We can't leave, they're everywhere outside." Connor grunted and stood up, holding his chest where the alien hit him. Liz looked puzzled at the exchange, she couldn't understand the alien language.
"They are going to be everywhere inside soon. What is your name and how do you know what I'm saying?"
"I'm Connor, this is Liz. I took a translator from a dead Sharlah."
"You have killed one?" It asked curiously.
"We've killed many."
"Well, maybe I was a bit hasty." It said and lowered it's arms, taking the weapons off of them. "I am Loukios."
"Are you fighting them? The Sharlah?" Connor asked and tentatively reached down to pick up his shotgun. Liz tensed but he shook his head at her.
Loukios watched him with his eyes but did not move. "In a way, yes, but it's time for me to leave. This world is lost. What you see here is happening everywhere. Worse in some places, at least your people are fighting. Hurry, come with me." He said and went back through the double doors. "There is a security room on this level. The building draws solar power and also has a generator. I have some power restored and I've sent a call for help. Help should arrive soon. Should."
Connor and Liz followed and he whispered to her what had taken place in the conversation. She relaxed slightly but she was still on edge about the alien.
"I am a Callidus, we are friendly to humans. You only exist here on Dottier because my ancestors assisted your ancestors on Earth with evacuation." Loukios said and pushed his way into the security room.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Evacuation from what?" Connor asked.
"From the Sharlah invasion. That is how the Earth was lost. Now they are here on Dottier to do the same. They're harvesting your people as a resource because you can't fight them."
Connor and Liz looked at the security monitors and they were filled with movement of the Sharlah troops outside.
"They're surrounding the building. Shit!" Connor slammed his fist against the wall.
Loukios watched him. "You are full of rage. Good. You will need it."
Liz swore and leaned out into the hallway to "We need to barricade the doors and windows."
"That's a good idea, start piling shit in front of the double doors. Desks, chairs, whatever you can drag over. Better yet, fill the stairwell with it all." Connor said. He could hear pounding on the doors three floors down.
"I locked them when we came in. They'll get through." Liz said and ran into the next room to start grabbing furniture.
----------------------------------------
Ash listened to the transmission from Vista Freight as the Solent drifted silently a safe distance from Dottier.
"This is Loukios requesting immediate rescue. All syndicate vessels, I repeat, This is Loukios requesting immediate rescue. The situation on Dottier is deteriorating. I need pickup."
"That is him Ash, but the transmission is automated. It has been broadcasting since the start of the invasion."
"Understood. How many Sharlah ships are in orbit now? How hard would it be to slip through?" Ash asked as the crew gathered around him in the cockpit.
"For you or Katherine it would be impossible but for me there is a chance. I am reading 120 Sharlah ships in orbit. They are not all warships, though, some are for logistics and repair but they are all armed in some way. I can.. see their sensor coverage. I think I can do it. I can guide us through with the stealth cloak." Charlie said with somehow both confidence and apprehension.
Ash stood and ran his hands through his hair as all eyes turned to him. "We can't go in on a maybe. We just can't risk our lives for that. Charlie is there any way that you can respond to the transmission?"
"Yes I can, but it will be detected. I can encrypt the contents of the message, but the message itself will be picked up by their technicians. They'll know someone is out here. Ash I think we should wait." Charlie said.
"Wait for what Charlie? Nothing is going to change except for the chances of Loukios being alive."
"We should reply. We are hidden." Ruo said and could almost feel the AI staring at her with mechanical eyes.
"Shit, I don't know. Kate, Jay, what do you think?" Ash asked them.
"It's your call boss. I'll be okay with whatever we do." Jayden said and nodded at Ash.
"I think we should send the reply. You're right, we can't go on a maybe and there's no reason to sit here and freeze." Kate said.
"I apologize for the temperature Katherine. We are running on minimal power to avoid detection. You can use your EV suits for warmth. I will send a reply now."
----------------------------------------
Connor stood in the shadows and fired a shot through the window at one of the Sharlah as they tried to sneak around the back side of the building. It went down hard and clawed at the ground in pain before he shot it again in the head and saw the helmet deform around the back of it's skull. He ducked down and moved away from the window as return fire ripped through it and into the ceiling causing chunks of plaster and insulation to rain down. The doors downstairs shattered with the sound of an explosion and dozens of armored footsteps filled the bottom floor.
"Liz get ready!" Connor shouted and she gave him the thumbs up from her position at the top of the stairs.
He fired another shot standing a few feet from the window and hit one of the huge dog handlers in the hand. It dropped it's weapon and moved for cover behind one of the APC's as the hounds bayed and ran for the ruined back door. Connor grabbed his water bottle but found it empty and swore under his breath.
Liz stood and raised Connor's shotgun as the footsteps grew louder. One of the Sharlah tried to climb over the piled furniture blocking the staircase and she melted it's head inside of the helmet with direct hits. It's body went rigid for a few moments and then slowly relaxed and went still. She heard the rest of the squad pull back from the staircase and smiled. That did the trick.
"I'm getting something on my comm. It's a response!" Loukios shouted from the security room. Connor get back from the window!"
Connor dove into the office to his left just as a Sharlah fighter swooped in low and blew out a chunk of the brick wall surrounding the window. Fully automatic beam fire ripped through the hole and blew it out even more. Liz opened up again but he couldn't see what was happening. He heard it though. Howling and snarling followed by the shots and a scream that froze his blood.
"They're sending the dogs in. I got them." Liz yelled and fired three more times. Another scream. It sounded almost human.
"It's not the Syndicate but they're here for me. I told them they can't land here. We need to get out somehow." Loukios shouted.
Connor was pinned down in the side office. The entire outer wall was missing in the hallway and they would cut him down if he stepped out. He hissed a curse to himself and started kicking. The inner walls weren't brick, he could see that from the damage they had already sustained. His foot went straight through once, twice, three times. He started to rip and tear as Liz screamed and opened fire again.
Her shots were loud but there was something else. Gunfire from outside. Connor stopped and listened, there it was again. He risked a glance out the office door and saw the Sharlah responsible for the rear of the building spinning around return fire behind them. He raised up and shot one in the back and then another. The aliens the ones who were pinned now.
"It's on fire!" Liz yelled "They set the staircase on fire!"
"Help is here! There's people outside!" Connor yelled back to her.
"We need to go! They're going to meet us at the hospital! There's an open parking lot big enough to land the ship. We have to fight our way out." Loukios said and started to stow his comms equipment and gather his things. "Let's move!"