It took forty minutes to get to the Elysium. A few Alliance vessels were successfully using hit and run tactics against enemy fleet, which unfortunately had an overwhelming advantage in numbers. There was little hope to push them back as long as the main force of the Alliance was still en route. The Alliance frigates could barely shoot a single slug at the attacking fleet before they had no choice but to retreat. On the other hand, pirate vessels couldn't keep up with much more advanced Alliance frigates while staying in orbit, which meant neither side could destroy each other yet.
It was much worse on the ground.
Illyria was the capital and the largest city of Elysium. The north of the city was a slum area filled with stacks of prefabricated house modules, the leftovers from the colonization efforts in the 2160s. As the time went by house modules were sold to poor colonists, who were arriving en mass to Elysium. Shiny skyscrapers, malls and residential towers in the south and slums in the north. A very depressing sight.
The large-scale raid had taken everyone by surprise. The only Marine brigade stationed on the planet was unable to stop the raiders. Many Marines died in the first minutes of the attack. Those who survived retreated to the Illyria's downtown, which was in chaos by that time. People were trying to get to the space port in hope to get away, but as long as there was a fleet in orbit, it was too dangerous to flee from the planet. Civilian ships didn't have any chance to break through the blockade as they neither had any weapons nor strong shields.
Max had never been to Elysium... or other colonies. More than two years into the service and she still hadn't used a day of her leave time. Short shore leaves on Arcturus aside and a few raids on pirate bases in the Terminus Systems, she spent some time on Earth and Mars for sniper and officer training. It would be her first time on a human colony world.
Max couldn't decide if was supposed to be proud for humanity to be able to colonize a world thousands of lightyears away from Earth, or to be disappointed in humanity's inability to build a society without inequality and poverty. Almost two hundred years into the future, lots of technological wonders, spaceships and mini-fabricators, dozens upon dozens of colonies and people lived in slums that reminded her of the worst visions of human future she had seen in the 20th century.
She shook her head and focused on the conversation.
"No," Captain Crain said. "Magnesia's too vulnerable without kinetic shields."
"We could go through the slums," the lieutenant proposed.
"And what then? Do you wish to fight through the enemy lines all the way down to the space port?" Crain asked. "You have only six Marines, Roja."
"But we can't just leave them!"
"If you have any realistic idea, I'm listening."
Their forces on the ground, or what left of them, urgently needed help. Senior military staff was MIA. Dead, captured or deserted. According to some messages Lieutenant Jane Shepard had successfully taken command of scattered und panicking forces, encouraged and convinced civilians to take up arms to protect the colony. The advance of the attackers had been slowed down. A noteworthy achievement considering the enemy forces outnumbered the defenders at least five to one.
It was anything but a common raid. Fucking Hegemony!
According to the latest messages the raiders had overwhelmed defenses on the eastern side of the space port. Nobody knew for sure what had happened afterwards. Some reported that raiders captured the space port, but later these messages were refuted. It seemed as if Lieutenant Shepard was single-handedly holding the line, which was hard to believe. That sounded like something out of legends about three hundred Spartans. But even if she was somehow holding the line, how long would she last against overwhelming forces? No-one would come to help. Max would, but she had no idea how to get there.
"Captain, what about an orbital or high attitude drop?" Fokin asked.
"Are you insane, Chief?" Crain said. "You don't have the qualification or equipment."
"I mean a drop inside Goblin."
Captain Crain didn't answer immediately, which meant he was considering the idea. He had begun his career as an Enlisted Marine and knew well how dangerous an orbital drop would be, but it was obvious that he liked the idea. If she had a choice, Max would never even consider it, but at the moment any idea, even insane one, seemed to be better than doing nothing.
"Goblin's no fighting vehicle," the captain said.
"But it does have kinetic shields and a pair of machine guns," Nikita argued.
"It wouldn't last long, but we would win a few minutes," Max agreed.
"If the anti-aircraft guns are under Alliance control. Otherwise it would be a short journey."
"Pisano," Captain Crain said, selecting a target on the tactical map. "If I ask you to drop Goblin here..."
"I'll do it, Captain!" the helmsman exclaimed.
"Goblin has space for five," the captain muttered. "Lieutenant, you stay on Magnesia."
"But Captain-"
"I need you here. Enemy fleet is still in the orbit."
"Aye, Captain." Roja sighed. "Caulfield, take command and assemble the team."
"Aye, aye, Lieutenant," she answered.
Max doubted Crain really needed Roja as a XO on Magnesia. Roja had started as a Lieutenant after the college and didn't have much real experience apart from two boarding operations. Max, Taylor and Nikita had gone through many firefights in space and groundside. They had experience. It was logical to let the lieutenant sit this one out.
"Alright, girls," Max said as they got to the cargo bay. "They're going to drop us inside Goblin. If you didn't use head yet, I strongly advise you to do it now."
Marines chuckled.
"Reyes, you'll drive," Max ordered. "Ichikawa, machine guns. Fournier, drones."
"What about me, Chief?" Germansson asked.
"Sit this one out."
As she watched her team getting into the vehicle, Max took a selfie. She hoped there would be no need to use it. She got inside and closed the hatch. Neither Foklin nor Reyes looked nervous, unlike Ichikawa and Fourneier. Like Roja they didn't have much combat experience.
"Goblin is green, Pisano," Max reported.
"I didn't think Goblin is intended for orbital drops," Ichikawa said.
"It's not." Reyes smiled. "But don't worry, it'll get us to the ground."
"Alive, I hope?"
"Hey, Caulfield said to use head. No shitting inside Goblin."
Max facepalmed.
"Reyes," she said. "Stop."
"Aye."
"Keep it together, Ichikawa," Fokin said. "It's not the worst mess we've been through. You're going to be back on Magneisa in no time."
Not the worst mess? Right...
"As soon as we touch the ground, Ichikawa, shoot the fuckers," Max ordered. "Fourneier, launch the drones and drive the Goblin somewhere safe. We'll need drone support. Don't be heroes, just do your job. Understood?"
"Aye, aye, Chief!"
"Fokin, Reyes, with me."
"Dropping in five," the helmsman spoke over the radio, "four, three, two, one."
The next moment the vehicle shook as they were thrown out of the cargo bay and flew down to the earth. Time moved painfully slow and Max was barely keeping her shit together. They were a perfect target and at any time an anti-aircraft gun could shoot them out of air. Finally, Reyes turned on thrusters, slowing down the fall before they touched the ground. A moment later she heard as Ichikawa began raking the raiders with machine-gun fire.
"Out!" she shouted, opening the hatch.
It was hell outside. ON the street between two half-destroyed building lay dozens of bloody bodies of asari, turians, batarians and humans. Some civilians, some Marines and some raiders. The Goblin put the lid on the raider's enthusiasm and they were retreating under heavy fire. Very good. The survivors would need some time to regroup.
"Find some cover for the Goblin," she ordered as she noticed an Alliance Officer. She led her team to them. Lieutenant, by some miracle, was still alive. Half a hour against dozens of these fuckers. Alone in a light armor without a helmet. An hour ago Max would claim that it was impossible even with her abilities.
"Lieutenant Shepard?" she asked.
Max was a little surprised by the lieutenant's appearance. Considering the circumstances, she had expected to find someone similar to Reyes: a huge, broad-shouldered woman, who could get a krogan scared hitless with a single glance. Instead, Shepard was an attractive young woman of European descent. Her face was full of freckles and she was just a little higher than Max. Either the lieutenant's parents had paid a lot of creds for an expensive genetic therapy or she was one of the last natural human red-heads in the galaxy.
"Service Chief Max Caulfield of the 63rd Scout Flotilla, SSV Magnesia," she reported.
"How many, Chief?" the lieutenant asked. She looked tired. "Or is it just you?"
"Just us," Max answered. "Service Chief Fokin and Corporal Reyes. There are two FNGs in the Goblin, they're going to provide support."
"Well, better than nothing, I guess," Shepard said. "Nice trick with the landing, by the way. I'll adopt the practice."
"It was Fokin's idea, Lieutenant. Reinforcements will be here in about forty minutes."
"Good, we'll hold out here," she said with conviction. "Any energy bars?"
"Biotic?" Fokin asked.
Lieutenant nodded, but got a bit tense at the question. Biotics had often been victims of social prejudice and discrimination, supported by religious organizations and paranoid idiots on social networks. Max understood, why people were afraid of biotics. It looked like magic and then there were asari, who could read minds. Scared people tended to act like stupid jerks. The way the Alliance handled the first bunch of human biotics turned things from bad to worse.
Max hadn't ever seen a human biotic with her own eyes. She had seen a few asari on Arcturus, and a batarian biotic through a scope of her sniper rifle. She studied Shepard's face trying to find some signs that she was somehow different, but the lieutenant looked just like any other ordinary human.
"I know how you feel," Fokin said as he handed two energy bars. "My brother is a biotic too."
"What about the Goblin?" Shepard asked, munching on the bars.
"It's not a fighting vehicle. It's mostly electronic warfare and drones. Mediocre shields and light armor. That's not a Grizzly, Lieutenant. We may use it if there's no other choice, but it won't last a minute against serious assault."
The lieutenant nodded.
"Alright," Shepard said. "This street is the only way to the space port from our side. We'll be retreating on command towards that defense line. It's the last one. The buildings and roofs are booby-trapped."
"We had reports that anti-air canons may be captured," Max said.
"Indeed, they were right before the assault, but we recaptured them," Shepard explained.
"Sabotage? Any information on how it happened?"
"They got a family of a Marine hostage."
"What are these fuckers trying to achieve anyway?" Reyes muttered. "That's not how they normally work."
"Nothing is normal about this attack. They are paid to capture the space port."
"By whom?" Max asked.
"Some Elanos Haliat, but the Hegemony..."
"We've got some movement," Reyes reported.
"Fuck," Shepard cursed. "I hoped we'd have more time. Caulfield, Sniper?"
"Aye."
"Get to that position. Shoot anything that moves. I take point. Fokin, Reyes take flanks."
Max could shoot without distractions. She knew how to use her powers with a sniper rifle effectively. She saw a movement, used her powers to slow down time and shot six time to breach the shields and to kill the turian raider. She had long given up on counting her kills. It had been very difficult the first time. A ship's psychologist helped her to deal with it. It didn't mean she liked to kill. Humans or aliens.
Humans were still new in the galaxy. In most cases she had to shoot batarians, turians and asari. Sometimes salarians. It would be easy to adopt a racist mindset. They aren't humans. They're batarians, turians, krogan, asari. They're blue whores, four-eyes fuckers, frogs, skull-faces, metal-faces, cuttlebones, suit rats and animals. It was an age-old rule: divide people into us and them, use a slur for them, convince yourself that the enemy is inferior and it will get easier to drown out your conscience and to kill.
Max didn't want to lie to herself. They were people. Humans, asari, batarians and turians. Some individuals were good and some were scum. There were no more assholes among turians than among humans. The only thing she was telling herself was that the raiders before her were enemy scum who deserved to die, because they attacked a colony and killed civilians.
The raiders were slowly moving forward. No matter how much power she used the rifle still was getting hot. She neither could shoot without a stop nor use her abilities without a pause. There were so many bullets in the air that it would be almost impossible to shoot without her ablities. Max shot another batarian und ducked behind a cover.
"Caulfield!" Shepard shouted over the radio. "Get out of there!"
Max didn't hesitate. She ran. A moment later her position was destroyed in a fiery explosion caused by a hit of a heavy slug launched by an M29 Grizzly. Max was too close to explosion, but her power saved her by stopping time. Afraid of anomalies she had been avoiding the ability to rewind. She had used it two times for Reyes and one time for Fokin. Now it was her own turn.
How the fuck did they get their hands on a Grizzly?!
She rewound back a few seconds and ran away from her position.
"Alright, Caulfield?" Shepard asked.
"Aye."
"Lay down some cover fire for us. Fokin, Reyes, retreat."
It was necessary to fall back. They would hold the position longer if the raider hadn't brought the Grizzly. There were too many targets to deal with it. As the team got behind the covers of the last defense line, Shepard breathed heavily. It was an exhausting battle.
"What next, Lieutenant?" Max asked.
"We wait."
Max wasn't sure what they were waiting for as the Grizzly moved closer to their position.
"Get down!" Shepard ordered. "Fire in the hole!"
Max threw herself to the ground behind her cover and a moment later there was a huge explosion. She lost contact to the Goblin drones. Something flew over their head and grey cloud of dust rolled towards their position.
What the fuck did she detonate?! A tactical nuclear weapon?
Max looked up from her cover. Buildings on the either side of the street didn't exist anymore. Shepard detonated them, burying everything under the debris. There was no sign of anyone surviving this hell.
"That's the biggest ass explosion I've ever seen, Lieutenant," Reyes said. "Seems like you had it handled here without us."
"Don't sell yourself short, Corporal," the lieutenant argued. "Good job everyone. I hope it was enough to discourage them from launching another assault. I'm out of tricks."
There was no need to worry. Reinforcements were here.