Countdown by John Walker (most life changing books TXT) 📕

well considering the force of just one. How much did that crazy ass bitch use? Three dots disappeared off the map. Biggun groaned over the comm.

“I can’t believe the camera survived to show us that,” Biggun said before going back to his groans. “That was… horrifying. You guys are committing war crimes!”

“Shut it,” Nostros said. “The others are probably going to slow down after that, guys. Just an FYI. I’ll keep an eye on it but may have to get over there.”

Several soldiers seemed to dash around the building, heading for the front doors. They’d be ready to breach in less than a minute. “We’re up,” Zem said. “Ready, Torrence?”

“Remember that Rita might be amongst them,” Torrence took aim. “Otherwise, yeah. I’m good.”

The dots took up position on either side of the door.

Here we go.

***

Rita strolled along with Loch as he jabbered on about the construction of the building. He talked about the original architect being some genius he hired from the Confed space but that he was worried about the man telling people precisely where it was. So he had him killed and left out on some colony world, made to look like raiders did it.

“Regrettable,” Loch said, “but you can’t be too cautious these days. Not when everyone’s out looking for a guy. You know what I mean? I think you do. You’ve been through a lot of…” He stopped as an explosion made the ground rumble. The sound came from the other side of the compound. “What the hell was that?”

Probably why your comms are down, dumbass.

“You should probably give me a gun,” Rita said. “I mean, doesn’t this feel like some kind of burn? An enemy maybe?”

“It’ll be fine. The guards will take care of it. Besides, I don’t have a weapon to give you even if I wanted to. So… there is that.” He hurried along the building, glancing around. “See? They’re stacking up to breach the audience chamber now.” His fists clenched into tight balls. “I swear to God, whoever started this is going to pay.”

“Your guys are going to kill them,” Rita said. “So I wouldn’t plan on much in the way of vengeance.”

“You’re right.” Loch put the earpiece close to his head, cursing. “The thing’s still down! They’re jamming us! That’s not a mistake on our part! Oh my God… someone’s actually managed to come in here!” He looked around, frantic. “We have to get back to the shuttles! You can fly one of those. Get us back to the ship!”

Rita lifted her brow. “Really? You want to run?”

“We don’t have weapons!” Loch bellowed in her face. He grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her back toward the pads. “Let’s go! We’ll send some more people down here to help clear this place out.” As he moved, he looked all around the sky. “Looks like they don’t have aerial support at least!”

Okay, who’s out here? Rita looked at her computer. They jammed it on the ship and somehow, that stuck. No signals went out… it was basically locked down. Dammit! Maybe I can get it working if we make it back to this ship. Though this guy’s an idiot for trying. If people claimed the whole base, they must have the defenses locked down.

The ground shook from additional explosions, these coming from the different hallways throughout the compound. Shouts from behind them made it clear a fight broke out near the front doors. Whoever showed up planned for a real brawl and they had time to set it up. If Loch’s men drove them off, she’d be surprised at their competence.

***

Zem’s shoulders slumped at the sound near the entrance. The men outside made a real racket, tapping all around it as they got into position. Once they settled down, the distinct sound of a countdown began from three. At one, they shoved the doors open, but no one charged in. They didn’t even fire their weapons.

Nor did they step in front of the opening either.

“Easy…” Zem whispered. “Give them another moment.”

Explosions throughout the facility went off, indicating the other tunnels were under assault. Pirates poured in but they weren’t getting far. Eventually, they’d run out of the traps. Hopefully, their numbers will be sufficiently reduced to nullify their numeric advantage. It seemed likely given the potency of their defenses.

A pirate peeked in, withdrawing quickly.

Okay, now you know we’re not just standing out in the open. Let’s get this over with, assholes.

“They’re going to throw grenades,” Torrence said. “Just inside. Flashes.”

“Helmets will take care of that,” Zem replied. Their high-tech visors had flash suppressant, meaning they instantly dimmed to protect the vision of the wearer. He’d seen them in action on an opposing force and could attest they didn’t even have to look away. Once the pirates committed, they’d charge.

Just a matter of time.

Three canisters clattered on the tile floor, rolling a good way into the audience chamber. Zem estimated they were twenty yards away from their position. Just to be on the safe side, he slid back a few inches, hunkering down lower to avoid seeing more than the aura of the flash. Torrence did the same.

Each popped, a loud crack that echoed off the ceiling. A man screamed, “Breach!”

Zem popped up as the pirates entered the room. They moved in groups of two, firing their weapons at either side of the room and toward the chair beneath the balcony. A couple random blasts went high but fell short of the balcony itself, sending sparks showering down the wall.

That’s enough to brighten our position though. Zem opened fire with precision shots, taking his time to aim. He took out two in the back. Torrence knocked down another to the left. That left seven of the initial attackers.

He managed to get one more before the survivors redirected their attention. They