Recap
In the last instalment: Loeta had been knocked on conscious when she accidentally fired a rocket into the roof of the building they were fighting on. After waking up the battle had turned in the favor of the instigators. Soon a Peacekeeper Dropship was on them and landing at the base.
Note
I haven't been posting as regularly as I had been in previous months since being here. As I have a few other projects I'm working on and in a way to manage my time I decided to stop the daily posting so I could designate time for the others things I'm doing. I will get more regular soon though.
It's been a long time coming, but here is the final part of this chapter.
Loeta rushed to the doorway they used to reach the roof, taking it back down to the ground level to help the others fend off the landing party.
Charder and Fainter were already through the door and on their way down the ladder. As she backed into it and made her way down she could see Flux and Bo-Daki follow her. The gunfire was heavier now. But, most of the High Flyers who had occupied the rooftop were dead. The image replayed in her mind's eye, of the fighters who had been reduced to little more than a red mist by the hail of fire from the turrets of the dropship. I can't think of that now. She reasoned with herself while trying to keep her mind focused on the task at hand.
Inside, the building smelled of smoke. The fires caused by the explosion must have spread. The shouts and gunfire from inside the hanger on the ground floor echoed and resonated throughout the whole building. As she walked the ground beneath her shuck violently and she could hear the boom of an explosion. One of the speeders must have blown up. She thought to herself.
"That better not be my speeder!" Charder complained. "Not after all that work I put into it." Loeta looked as Charder made a face after finishing. He gave a side-eye to her. She almost wanted to apologise. "We'll get a new one if it was," Fainter said while checking over his pistol.
"We should settle ourselves and come up with a plan of action. Once we get down to the hanger who knows what we'll be facing." Loeta confidently said, even though she didn't feel confident in herself.
"She's right. One thing though. That fire could have engulfed the whole hanger by now. Is that the only way out?" Flux asked at the end, looking calm, but twitching occasionally.
Charder and Fainter looked at each other for a moment. "There is a back way out," Fainter said with a distance to his voice. "We could use that other way out to flank the landing party." Flux responded. "It would be good to see what we're dealing with," Fainter added. Looking at Charder afterwards as if waiting for him to make the final call.
After a few moments of thinking the Trisken gave a nod, his cold dead expressionless face did nothing to raise Loeta's spirits. Charder led the way and the others followed. Soon they were in an offshoot hallway, approaching a door. The base at this stage must have suffered irreversible damage, Loeta knew. Will we have to move afterwards? She wondered to herself.
"You ready," Charder said quietly with a hand on the handle of the door. Everyone nodded slowly, prepping their weapons for those doors to swing back. Loeta could almost feel her heart beating in her throat.
The door swung open, but there was no one on the other side of it. All of the fighting must have been contained at the very back of the building, in the courtyard. She could hear it all much louder than before, the distinct screams, shouting of orders and rapid gunfire. Even the distant shrieks of the ships in the midst of their battle. The distant skies were ablaze with gunfire and the fiery heaps of wreckage that fell to the ground. At least, it was the last time she had seen it.
Following Charder's lead, they made their way up the narrow alleyway, hugging the wall as they lightly stepped. Charder peered around the side for a moment and turned back to them. "There aren't many left." He looked back around. "We're not going to do much with one wall for all five of us. There is some cover ahead and they aren't looking this way. Everyone, crouch and make your way to the cover. When we get into position, wait for me to start shooting." Charder ordered.
Following his own instructions. Charder hunched over and quickly ran around the corner, followed closely by fainter. Loeta went too, squatting made her calves burn after a few moments, but it didn't stop her from moving fast.
Loeta peaked above the old scrap pile she was crouched behind, she could count about ten Peacekeepers. Most had their backs to them, focusing on threats from above and inside the hanger. She looked over at Charder, who held his hand to them. Telling them to hold their fire.
In front of her at another scrap pile, she could see Fainter, to her right was Charder and behind was Flux and Bo-Daki Shun, each of them was in a good position to turn the tide of this battle.
Charder launched himself from his cover and started blasting. With that Loeta did too. A hail of shots landed on them before they could react. Many went down in the first wave. The Peacekeepers turned then. Returning fire and repositioning. They reacted much faster than Loeta would have expected. The return fire was merciless. So many shots came in that it was hard to lean out of cover to fire back. "You want to take us out!?" Fainter shouted. Taunting them while quickly standing and ducking. "Calm yourself Fainter!" Charder commanded from his cover.
Between shots, Loeta could see that the few High Flyers on the roof were using the opening to land some hits on the Peacekeepers. While looking up at them and waiting for an opportunity she saw one get hit and wail while falling to the ground. Over the noise, she could hear a distinct splat. Loeta peaked out of cover fast enough to let off a few shots, one of which landed. Striking down one of the Peacekeepers. Soon, most of them were dead. The incoming fire slowed down, giving plenty of chances to let off shots. "How do you like that!" Fainter shouted. "Shut it Fainter!" Charder once again ordered.
He must have taken some more Vits. Loeta thought to herself with a smile, she jumped up once more to let off some shots. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Fainter going crazy. I think I'm in love with him. The psycho. She almost giggled while lost in thought.
Then she saw him jolt, she could see an impact hole in the back of his head. It was as if time slowed down as he collapsed to the ground.
"No!" She screamed. All the noise was gone now, she watched as his lifeless body twitched slightly on the ground. She looked up at the remaining Peacekeepers and started firing erratically. Shot after shot came at her, none hit though. The few who were left soon fell by her gun, or from one of the others in the compound. It didn't matter to her. The shooting stopped. Loeta slowly walked to Fainters corpse. As she lay a hand on him she was grabbed by Charder. "Don't look Loeta."
It was too late though, as she was pulled away she dragged his corpse. He flopped onto his back revealing a crater of fleshy pulp where his face used to be. She screamed once more. Charder physically picked her up and took her away from the body. "Cover him!" She could hear Charder shout to the other two.
The next thing Loeta saw was the return of the Sky-Fortress from where she sat in the courtyard. Razor-Jax and the others limped out of it. "What's the damage?" He asked. One of the nearby High Flyers walked to him. "We've suffered heavy casualties. Some of our HQ has been destroyed. But, we have the fire under control. We lost some of our Speeders too."
"Bastards." Was the only suitable response he could give. The only thing anyone could think of. "They're going to pay for what they have done here. Even if the whole of Bright City burns in the process." Razor-Jax grunted with each step.
Bo-Daki put an arm around Loeta, but she was numb. Staring back at the ground once more. As the others stood around evaluating the situation. "Razor-Jax." Flux said while standing up. "You're still here. I thought you two would have run when the fighting started."
"We should hit back. The main base of operations of the Peacekeepers is a building in the financial district." Razor-Jax approached Flux and the others slowly. "How the hell are we in any position to strike back at them. I can guarantee that these forces they sent were a drop in the ocean compared to what they have." Razor-Jax impatiently replied. "We've lost too many men!"
"On behalf of Embers Gunners and show of solidarity. We can reinforce your ranks." Flux replied. "Reinforce our ranks? Why would you do that?" Razor-Jax asked. "It's beneficial for both of our groups. If they can do this to you they'll do it to everyone else." Razor-Jax stared at Flux, then looked around and nodded slowly.
"Do you have allies?" Flux asked. "Allies? No, we have customers." Razor-Jax responded sharply. "Show them what happened here and I'm sure you'll round up more people. We need those Peacekeepers gone if any of us have a hope of surviving."
Razor-Jax turned and walked away. "Send us your reinforcements Flux. We'll see what we can do. You." Razor-Jax pointed at a random High Flyer. "Take the two of them back to Embers." With a nod, the man stopped what he was doing and headed to the docking bay.
"I want all of these bodies stripped of weapons and armour, we're going to need everything we can get. After that, burn them all." Razor-Jax shouted.
Bodies. That's all Fainter is now. That's all any of us are. Loeta started to cry when the image of Fainter replayed in her mind. All she could see was him smiling at her, the image morphed though into the faceless crater she wished she hadn't seen.