Invasion
30 minutes before Mark woke up in the lab...
Inside the rebels flagship's command center a group of people made up of the leaders of the different squads and the high command of the ship were watching the images streamed by the scout bots on different monitors in front of them..
"So this is the place?"
"Yes, sir. Our intel says this is the place."
"A small colony in the middle of an asteroid belt. Are you kidding me?"
"I know what you mean, but all clues point to toward this direction. No matter if it's the electronic readings, the strange movements of those supply convoys, or the corps patrolling around, everything indicates an structure as big as a small colony is hiding inside this place."
"And what makes you think it's not a pirate cove?"
"Pirates would never make an structure of this size. To make something this big you need some backing not only for all the money and material but also the experts necessary to design and manage such an structure."
"If the government really is responsible for this, this will be a huge scope that will attract thousands of people to our cause! Do we have any idea of what is going on inside there?"
"Not much. By what we learned from their supply convoys it could be many things. It could be a military research factory where they develop new I.S.C.A., it could also be a secret prison where they are putting all the missing people... Heck, it could even be an alien research facility for all we know!"
"Aliens? You mean, the Kleins? Well, that would make sense for the government to keep it hidden as such thing would start another war!"
"But isn't this exactly what the Government aim for? I mean, they have been expanding the army like crazy lately, so much that I wouldn't be surprised if another war was coming."
"Then we have yet another reason to put them down. The people have suffered enough, it's time for a change to happen!"
As the group discussed their views the bots kept moving, and finally, a few minutes later, one of them was able to spot the mysterious base they were searching for.
"Leader, look! Number 144 has found our target!"
"We're not blind nor deaf. Please tune down your voice, soldier."
"This place is a lot bigger than I expected! How much money did they waste to build such a base?"
"We got problems on health, education, security, but just take a look at where those assholes are investing our taxes...in a god damn secret military base! Are they trying to start another War again?"
"That's exactly why we are here. Let's show the world the dirty of the current government and force that dictator to abidicate by the power of the people!"
"You know this may end up sparking a civil war, right?"
"I know, we all know. But I think everybody here was prepared when they accept our invite, right?"
"Yes! Let's rock this place and show it to the whole World!"
"Let's overthrow this corrupt regime and bring freedom to the people!"
""For Freedom! For Justice! For Revolution! United we fight!""
--//--
"Captain, these are the scan report! 260 people, 56 I.S.C.A.s, 150 automated robots!"
"Only 56 I.S.C.A.s? Why are there so few I.S.C.A.s inside? They could as well be hiding some nasty surprise that our scans cant detect. Make sure to keep the radars active and update the status all the time!"
"Yes, sir!"
"How are the invasion teams status?"
"Captain, all I.S.C.A.s are ready!"
"Captain, all infiltrators are ready!"
"All right! Follow the plan! Deploy the I.S.C.A.s, neutralize the base's defenses and escort the infiltrators to the target points! Infiltration team, focus on each of your objectives and eliminate anyone in your way! You will have only 1 hour to complete all objectives! Anyone late will be left behind! Remember! Everybody inside that base are sinners who support that lunatic's dictatorship! Shot to kill! Take no prisoners! Operation Start!"
--//--
75 I.S.C.A.s and 5 boarding transport ships were launched from the rebel flagship simultaneously.
The I.S.C.A.s were the humanoid type, equipped with a heavy shield and rifle they stood in front of the transport ships while shooting at the automatic defenses.
The secret base didn't take long to react. At the same second the first shot came down raining upon them their defenses were activated sending out a hundred bots to repel the invaders.
Seeing the bot's swarm appearing in front of them, untrained pilots would panic and make mistakes, but this was not the case for these rebel pilots who had military backgrounds behind them. They kept formation and relied on the durability of their shields to sustain the barrage of laser shot against them, then countered with their own rifles, taking out a dozen bots in every shot they made. The bot's swarm close formation ended up worked against them, and soon their numbers were reduced by a tenth and so did their attack power.
"Now A, B and C teams spread and finish them off while the other teams escort them to the base!"
With the base's defenses were destroyed, the 5 transport ships had an easy time arriving safely at five different points inside the secret base.
Alex, the leader of the invasion squads, got out of the transport ships along his teammates and checked the area for enemies. Seeing no enemies around, Alex turned around he turned on his communicator and talked to the people in the transport ship.
"It's clear! All right guys, remember the plan! We got about 1 hour before their reinforcements arrive, report every move you make, focus on searching evidences and don't waste any time on other things! If you are not back in 1 hour we will leave without you! Go Go Go!"
The soldiers inside split in 5 members squads and started exploring the base. Each squad took with themselves a camera, streaming all their discoveries to the flagship, so that even if there was a problem and they were eliminated, at least what they discoveries wouldn't be lost.
Alex team ran through the corridor and found the structure map on the wall of one of the lobbies. Taking a picture with his camera, he reported back to HQ and seconds later the map was distributed to all his teammates.
"Good, we got a map. Now things will get easier."
Alex's team continued to proceed while hearing the team's channel through their helmets communicator.
[HQ, this is Delta, the enemy sealed the corridor to the labs, requesting permission to use the explosives.]
[Permission granted!]
...BOOM!!!
[HQ, this is Beta, we are entering the storage room, no enemies in sight!]
[Roger, proceed with caution!]
[HQ, this is Zeta, we are engaging the enemy near Lab C, no need for reinforcements!]
[Roger!]
[HQ, this is Gama, the enemy barricaded the corridor, requesting permission to use explosives.]
[Permission Granted!]
...Boom!
[HQ, this is Zeta, enemies eliminated! We have reached Lab C, those bastards are doing human experiments! Permission to clean the place!]
[Permission Granted!]
[HQ, this is Omega, we have reached Lab A, now collecting evidences.]
[Roger!]
[HQ, this is Delta! The security room's door is sealed, we are out of explosives!]
[Team Alpha, this is HQ, new orders! Supply team Delta with explosives to blow up the security room's door!]
[Roger!]
Receiving his new orders, Alex changed the direction he was running and started heading toward the security room.
Reaching the security room, Alex quickly installed the bombs and blow up the door, but to his surprise soon after he blew up the door he was greeted with a storm of bullets. Fortunately Alex felt something was wrong in the last moment and dodged to the side, but one of his team members was not so lucky and just as he was going to report to HQ, the HQ talked to him instead..
[This is HQ, team Zeta signal was lost, requesting team Alpha and Delta to group up, investigate the reason and if possible rescue team Zeta.]
(Fuck! First Daniel was shot and now Zeta's signal was lost? I'm having a bad feeling about this!)
[This is Alpha, we have opened the security room but discovered hostiles inside, so right now we are engaging them! Also, Daniel was hit and requires treatment!]
[Roger. Granting permission for Daniel to retreat.]
"Leader, I'm fine, it just hit my arm! I can still fight!"
"Shut up Daniel! Don't think you can hide your bleeding from me! Tom, bring Daniel back to the transport ship and come back as soon as possible!"
"Roger, Leader!"
After seeing Tom and Daniel off, Alex focus went back to his mission.
[This is Teta, we are under heavy fire! We were ambushed by the enemy as we tried to reach the Garage. Requesting reinforcements!]
[Teta, this is HQ. Your reinforcements should arrive soon! Lambda and Pi squads are heading to your location right now!]
[Roger!]
"It seems like we're not the only ones who encountered trouble. The longer we take, the more dangerous this operation will turn. Let's finish this fast before their counter attack intensify!"
"Yes, sir!"
--//--
At the corridor where Teta squad was engaging the enemy a young girl who looked like the little princess from a wealthy family slowly advanced not fearing the bullets.
"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! Shot them all! Kill them! Destroy these rats who dare to invade my home!"
Abiding by her orders, the guards advanced soundlessly and shot down the enemy without caring for their own lives. It could be said that the strategy worked, the enemies started being killed at a fast pace, but the price for this exchange was quite heavy as the young girl's guards fell on an even higher rate.
Seeing her guards fall at an alarming pace, the young girl didn't even bat an eye. To her the guards were just soulless puppets to be used and nothing else, if she needed more, she could just call for more and a hundred more soldiers would arrive to answer to her. This was exactly what the scientists have taught her and what she experienced herself in her whole life living inside this place. So much that she even forgot the base's current situation that had left it temporarily with less than 10% of it's normal number of defenders due to assigning them to multiple escort missions all around Space.
Seconds later all enemies had fallen along half her guard, she looked at the dead bodies with disdain and advanced without looking back, but as she reached the corridor's crossroad she was surprised by the emergence of two enemy teams ambushing them from both sides.
The "puppets" put themselves before her imediately, acting like human shields and shooting back at the enemy but unfortunately this only speed up their defeat as half of them ended up dead or crippled after just the first wave of the enemies attack.
The girl was arrogant but not stupid, noticing situation was taking a turn to worse, she requested help from the guards in her surrounding but she was surprised to notice there were hardly any guard left alive in their floor.
"Oh no! I forgot daddy took most of the puppets to guard their meeting and protect the transporters! Now the base is lacking puppets to play with them!"
Having not many options left, the young girl's group retreated to the closest room they found and locked the door.
"Damn! I can't believe these rats had to strike us right on this time! This is too much of a coincidence! There must be someone leaking our status to these rats! Once daddy finds out who it is he will make him pay!"
As the girl cursed her luck and prayed for revenge, the door protecting them is suddenly blown up.
"Kyaaaaaaaaa~~~~!!"
Being thrown to the other side of the room by the explosion, her right arm was broken and her left leg was pierced by the flying wreckage from the door that blew up. While she was lucky for having survived, her body felt so weak that she couldn't even lift her finger, making her helpless in front of the invaders who would soon enter the room.
(Damn! Damn! Damn! Why is this happening to me!? Why do these rats keep coming!?)
Feeling the strongest pain she had ever felt before, her eyes accumulated tears blurring her own vision. She was unable to see, but she could still hear the steps of the invaders moving outside the room as they positioned themselves close to the door and mercilessly finished off the downed puppets spread around the room.
(Puppets! Come rescue me! Why arent you coming!? Come this instant! It's an order!!!)
One of the invaders touched his helmet and said something, then proceeded inside the room to capture her.
Feeling the man approaching her, she already expected the worst. At that moment her arrogant facade vanished like it was never there, the tears she was holding back started flowing like a waterfall and her mind screamed with all her strength.
(No! Noooo! I don't want to die! Not like this! Not by these scum! I got a mission to accomplish! I can't die yet! No! No! Nooo!!!! Somebody please save me!!!!!!!!!)