Gideon woke with a start to find Mia screaming at him. He blinked, looking around the room. He was lying in his bunk and Mia was getting dressed, shaking his shoulder and shouting something he couldn’t understand.


    “…hundreds of them!”


    “What?” he asked, the words sounded woolen in his ears.


    “Stalkers!” she barked. “They’re inside the station. Come on! Get up!”


    He pushed himself up and out of the bunk, following her out of the room as she pulled the rifle from her inventory and started firing. The moment they left the sleeping chamber they were assaulted by Stalker drones and Bloodborn warriors. There were dozens of them lining the halls, blades bared, looking for enemies to fight.


    “Shit!” Gideon shouted, summoning his talons and lunging into the fight, with a slash at the throat of the closest Stalker.


    Gunfire echoed through the halls and pinged off walls as station personnel fought back against the invasion. Gideon saw dead bodies lying on the floor and blood splattered against the walls as he ended two drones with savage strikes to their vital organs.


    He and Mia worked their way toward the stairs leading up to the mess hall, firing and slashing their way through the throng. There were too many enemies to do anything other than simply hack and slash with brutal force while Mia used rapid bursts of fire to drive back the enemy and target weak points in their armor.


    “How the hell did they get in here?!” Gideon shouted.


    “No idea,” Mia replied. “It all started a few seconds ago. Book sent an alarm to our HUDs and then we heard them outside.”


    As he slid a talon into the neck joint of a nearby Bloodborn, Gideon saw the flashing red notification on his HUD. A thought suddenly occurred to him.


    “Where’s red?!”


    An answer came in the form of the brawler’s maul thudding into the side of a nearby Stalker’s head, shattering the armor plating and sending blood and ichor splattering across a wall behind him. Red was roaring in a frenzy, clubbing enemies left and right without any sense of strategy and kicking with his boots as he cut a path of destruction back to Mia and Gideon.


    His face covered in blood, Red threw a thumb over his shoulder. “They’re all over the place. Even in the main control room.”


    Gideon drove a talon through the chest of a nearby Stalker and looked in the direction the other man was pointing. They needed to reach Moynahan and find out what was going on, but there must have been hundreds if not thousands of enemy combatants between them and the Commander’s office.


    “Come on!” he shouted, triggering Shadow Smite and driving back the enemy as he started running for the stairs.


    Mia and Red followed as Gideon use Blade Flurry and Shadow Charge to bully a path through the ranks of Stalkers clogging the halls. He struck left and right, driving forward and using every part of his body as a weapon.


    There was no tact or strategy here, he simply battered everything ahead of him, using his claws to swipe and skewer any Stalker foolish enough to get too close. Keeping her gun on burst fire, Mia peppered the enemy, driving them back while Red used his maul to deadly effect at the rear, leaving a trail of blood and gore behind them as they cut a path through the station.


    Gideon saw more and more dead Ministry soldiers as he pushed a path through the Stalkers. Some had been cut apart while they were attempting to flee, others looked like they’d fought to their dying breath. One thing was clear, they were no match for the Stalkers. There were just too many of them and the surprise attack had caught the station off guard.


    It was up to Gideon and his crew to cut down the enemy, but it seemed like every time he killed a Stalker, two more took their place. Even with his enhanced physique, Gideon’s muscles strained with the effort as he hacked and slashed, jabbed and punched his way forward.


    He realized, as he slashed and stabbed at the enemy, that he’d neglected to get dressed. He was wearing boxers, and nothing else. No shirt, no trousers, no boots. If time had permitted, he might have felt embarrassed by that fact, but the need to survive and push ahead to the control room was too great.


    Gideon continued to fight, blood and ichor spraying over his naked torso and making his arms slick. That made it harder for the enemy to grapple him, but the stench of the Stalker blood was also nauseating, and it made his eyes tear up. He ignored the discomfort, his enhanced echo thrilling in the sudden surge of adrenaline and other chemical stimulants designed to prep the body for battle.


    Despite the damage he was doing to the enemy, they were too slow. He could charge ahead, of course, but that would leave Red and Mia behind, and he wasn’t about to do that.


    Gideon: Bullseye?! We’re under attack!


    Bullseye: I see that. I am with Maddox at the enemy spacecraft. We just received a message from Commander Moynahan. She wants you to divert your path and come here immediately. We are to launch the moment you arrive.


    Gideon: What about this place? These people will die!


    Bullseye: It was a direct order, Gideon. She seemed adamant.


    Gideon thrust his right talon into the face of an oncoming Stalker, shattering the chitinous armor and driving deep into the creature’s skull. Blood and ichor ran down his arms as a message popped up in his HUD, set to auto play with a digital waveform rising and falling in response to Commander Moynahan’s voice.


    “Specialist Gideon, this is Moynahan. We’re overrun. I don’t know where these bastards came from, but there are too many for us to hold off. This station will fall in a matter of minutes and there’s nothing we can do to stop it!”


    Gideon stopped moving, trying to process what he was hearing.


    “Your orders are to get to the Collective troop carrier and get of Lunar asap. Take Mia and Red with you and get to earth. That’s a direct order and I expect you to follow it, so don’t go trying to be a hero. Earth needs you and we’re done here. I’ve triggered the station self destruct, so you’ve got five minutes to get to the ship and get your assess off this rock.”


    A timer appeared on the top left hand side of his HUD, counting down.


    4:49


    “Give ‘em hell, Specialist Gideon!”


    The message cut off as Gideon turned to face the others. Mia and Red were standing with shocked expressions. The brawler still managed to slam the haft of his maul into the face of and oncoming enemy while Mia fired her rifle to keep the surrounding Stalkers at bay.


    “You heard?” Gideon asked.


    They both nodded.


    “What are we gonna do?” Mia asked.


    Gideon clenched his teeth. Running like this felt like an utter betrayal. Everything they’d fought for so far was meaningless, just postponing the inevitable. All these people would die, were dying, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.


    “We head to the airlock and get to the ship,” he said flatly.


    NEW MISSION: Flee Lunar


    Reach the Collective troop carrier and launch the ship before the lunar station self destructs.


    REWARD: 10 Enhancement Points


    The moment that decision was made, Gideon was determined to follow it through. He set to work, slashing through enemies as he checked his mini map and locked in the fastest path to the airlock.


    Bullseye: You’re on your way then?


    Gideon: Yeah. But it’s gonna take a minute. The halls are packed with Stalkers and the airlock is all the way across the other side of the station.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Bullseye: Why not just make your own exit? The station is set to self destruct anyway and you can breathe in space, so simply break through one of the walls.


    They spilled out into the mess hall where fifty or more Stalkers charged toward them. Gideon looked at the walls, searching for the easiest way outside. There were several octagonal windows with plexiglass embedded in the walls but the bolts that held them in place looked ridiculously strong.


    “Red!” he shouted, motioning toward the wall. “I need you to try and bash a hole through that window or rip it off.”


    Red frowned in confusion.


    “We need to get outside,” Gideon explained, “but it’s gonna take too long to get to the airlock, so this is our best bet. Use that big ass hammer of yours and open up a hole.”


    The brawler grinned, hefting his bloody maul and charging toward the door.


    “Little help!” Mia called out as the throng of enemy Stalkers closed in.


    Gideon turned to face the enemy, triggering Shadow Charge and driving them back enough to give Mia some space to reposition. He swept his talons out in a wide arc, playing for time rather than simply attempting to kill every Stalker he came in contact with.


    Behind him the sound of Red’s hammer thudding against the wall rose above the clarmor of fighting. Gideon could feel each rhythmic thud in his chest as Red grunted and cursed with each strike.


    “Use the ether!” Gideon suggested, kicking back a nearby Stalker and then using Blade Flurry to cut through three drones one after the other.


    Gideon was aware that they were looting more and more ether and items with each enemy killed. It was all happening so quickly that he barely registered the updates. Balls of blue and red either appeared and were sucked away every few seconds and Gideon channeled some of that etheric power to lend his attacks greater force.


    Mia must have been doing the same thing because her burst fire was suddenly three times more effective and glowed with golden light as the gun tore through the enemy ranks. They both fell into a strangely hypnotic rhythm, killing Stalkers, harvesting ether, and using that ether to enhance their attacks again.


    There was a loud crack behind them followed by a string of cursing from Red before he turned around, hefting his maul triumphantly. Air was being sucked out of the mess hall and drawn through the hexagonal hole the brawler had opened up in the wall.


    “Got it!” Red shouted.


    “Okay! You first, Mia,” Gideon ordered, stepping forward and sweeping his talons out to drive back the enemies closest to her.


    Mia stashed her rifle and ran for the opening, diving with cat-like grace through the hexagonal hole and out into the space beyond.


    “Now you!” Gideon said, moving up beside Red. “I’ll blink through once you’re out!”


    Red was a little less graceful in his departure and his bulkier frame made it harder for him to squeeze through the gap. After a few moments, another string of curses, and repeated grunting, he eventually pulled himself through the gap and out to the other side.


    Gideon immediately turned, triggered Phantom Step, and appeared outside the building standing next to Mia and Red. He checked his mini map as a glut of Stalkers slammed against the hole in the station wall and started climbing out.


    “This way!” he said, setting off at a run towards the distant spaceship.


    4:02


    Gideon: We’re out of the station. Heading to you now!


    Bullseye: Excellent. With luck we’ll be ready to lift off by the time you get here.


    Gideon: What? The ship isn’t ready?


    Bullseye: Chief Maddox is still contending with the controls. The machine seems to be sentient, and it resists our attempts to break its coding. I am attempting to reason with the creature but thus far I have been unsuccessful.


    “Shit!” Gideon hissed.


    “What is it?” Mia asked.


    “They’re not ready to lift off yet. Still trying to sort out the controls.” He looked back the way they’d come and saw a stream of Stalkers making their way out of the station building and snaking their way toward the group like a line of ants.


    “We might have to turn and fight to keep these Stalkers away from the ship,” Gideon suggested. “We’ll wait until we’re within range and make a decision.”


    “Got it,” Mia said.


    “Yup!” Red replied.


    3:32


    Gideon checked the mini map to confirm that they were heading in a straight line towards the vessel. While he was estimating how long it was going to take to get there a group of red dots appeared between his position and the ship.


    “What the hell?” He turned to Mia. “You seeing this?”


    She nodded. “They came out of nowhere.”


    On the ridge ahead a line of dark figures appeared ahead of the group. They looked like ordinary Bloodborn Stalkers, except instead of wall shields or balled up fists, they held oversized swords in each hand and moved much quicker than the other Bloodborn they’d encountered so far.


    “Must be some kind of uber-Stalker?” Red reasoned, pulling his maul from his inventory as he ran beside Gideon.


    “We’re still a fair distance from the ship,” Gideon said, “so we can’t afford to get bogged down. We need to push through the line and just keep going. If we reach the ship and Maddox hasn’t figured out how to launch it yet, we’ll turn back and take out anyone following us.”


    Gideon shifted to the right, positioning himself so that he’d hit the incoming group of beefed up Bloodborn right at the center point. The plan was to trigger a charge, drive them back and make a hole that Red and Mia could slip through then sprint for the finish line.


    When they came to within thirty feet of the enemy, Gideon charged forward, shifting through the space between them to come thudding against a brick wall that sent him crashing to the ground with his head ringing and his vision blurred. He hit the ground hard, fumbling for purchase as he got to his feet and saw a knot of Bloodborn standing in a line together, shimmering power surrounding them in a wall of bristling energy.


    Before he had a chance to shout a warning, Red came charging at the enemy, maul held over his head and shouting bloody murder at the top of his lungs. He hit the wall of energy and was sent hurling backwards, arms and legs flailing, maul flying end over end through the air before he crashed onto the ground behind Gideon.


    Mia was more circumspect. She slowed to a walk and fired three explosive rounds at the advancing line of enemies. The resulting explosions slowed the Stalkers but didn’t seem to damage them.


    NEW ENEMY VARIANT


    BLOODBORN BULLWARK


    Hulking, with deep crimson chitin plating, each blade-arm serrated for maximum carnage. Their backs are ridged with pulsating ether veins that glow when their defensive phalanx is triggered.


    Aegis of the Bloodborn: When two or more Legionnaire Bulwarks stand within five meters of each other, a semi-transparent ether barrier forms between them, reducing incoming damage by 90% and deflecting weaker projectiles entirely.


    Sundering Blades: Powerful, sweeping strikes that shred armor and increase damage taken by the enemy for 5 seconds.


    Relentless Charge: Surges forward with both blades extended, skewering enemies and knocking them backwards.


    “Okay then,” Gideon said, turning to look at the enemies coming up at the rear. “You take care of them, Mia, and let me see if I can punch a hole through. Red, the second they’re on me, push through and keep the path clear for Mia. Both of you head to the ship and I’ll catch up.”


    The others nodded as Gideon summoned his talons and triggered Phantom Step, channeling ether into the ability as he vanished and reappeared behind the enemy. True to the System’s description of the aliens, their backs were ridged and glowed with crimson light.


    Phantom Step had temporarily disrupted their shielding, so Gideon triggered Blade Flurry cutting into the back of the nearest enemy with brutal efficiency. The other Bloodborn turned on him as he finished off the first enemy and quickly triggered a combination of Abyssal Strike and Dusk Veil.


    The black aliens turned gray as his vision was heightened, with vulnerable points highlighted in bright red and the bulk of their attacks deflected by his heightened evasion. Gideon used that to his advantage stabbing his talons with deadly accuracy and shifting from enemy to enemy in an effort to keep their focus squarely fixed on him.


    He caught side of Red and Mia running past and pulled back from his advance for a moment, kiting the enemies around so that their backs were facing his companions. A flurry of sword strikes drove him sidewards as the Bloodborn soldiers counterattacked. He deflected what he could, triggering Dark Rejuvenation to bounce some of the damage the enemy was doing back at them while recovering from any wounds he was taking.


    From the corner of his eye, Gideon caught sight of a pack of Stalkers coming up from the rear, about to sandwich him in the middle as the etheric shielding around the Bloodborn Bullwarks came to life again.


    Gideon grinned. “See ya!”


    He triggered Shadow Charge, pumping ether into the move to boost it to maximum range and blinking forward to within twenty feet of Red and Mia. The ship was clearly visible up ahead and, by the blue glow of the large thrusters to the rear of the ship, it looked like Maddox might have fixed their launching problem.


    1:45


    Gideon: Where are you at with the launch?


    Bullseye: Almost there! I’ve been able to convince the ship that remaining on the surface of the moon isn’t advisable. It agrees with the sentiment but refuses to leave while there are Stalkers still engaged in active combat on the moon’s surface.


    Gideon: What?


    Bullseye: It is a troop carrier. It is programed to ferry Collective soldiers from place to place and it refuses to leave until its transport bays are filled with Stalkers or there are none left on this moon.


    Gideon: Shit! We can’t kill them all Bullseye. There are just too many. You’re gonna have to convince the damned ship to take off without them.


    Bullseye: Something I am endeavoring to do, but it refuses to listen to reason.


    The ship that came into view was much larger than Gideon remembered from what he’d seen at a distance. It looked large enough to carry a couple hundred troops and a small group of Striders, with dull metallic plating and a roughly sandal-like shape without the hole at the top. A thin amber light shone from the center of the craft running right around its midpoint with similar amber lines around the front viewing screen and several round portholes on the side of the vessel.


    A doorway with a ramp leading to the interior of the craft was visible to the rear section. It looked large enough for a tank to head through and a soft amber light glowed from the interior.


    Gideon: Okay, we’re here.


    Bullseye: I’m still wrestling with this ship, Gideon. We may need a little more time. You’ll have to keep the enemy at bay.


    0:48


    Gideon: Yeah, you’re seeing the timer right? Whole base is gonna blow in under a minute!


    Bullseye: I am aware of that fact! You’ll need to give us at least thirty more seconds. Maddox is attempting to bypass the ship’s defensive protocols, but she needs a little more time.


    Gideon turned to face the enemy. Half a dozen Bloodborn Bullwarks were running alongside thirty or so Stalkers, but it wasn’t those enemies that gave Gideon pause. A short distance behind the vanguard thousands of Stalkers were charging toward them, an army almost as big as the one that had assaulted the base.


    0:39


    “What’s the plan here, boss?” Red asked.


    Gideon stepped forward. “We fight like hell for thirty seconds and then run for the ship. You and Mia go first and I’ll follow, just like before.”


    “We’ll be cutting it fine,” Mia said, sighting down her rifle scope and firing off an explosive round that took one of the incoming Stalkers in the head with terminal results.


    “Down to the wire!” Gideon said, blinking ahead to meet the enemy vanguard and slamming his talons into the ground.