Galaxy of Heroes

Capt. Casey stepped off of a hover transport and onto a platform that looked down onto downtown Portogallos. She walked across a crowded walkway with her hands in her pockets and stepped down to street level.

The street bustled with humans, yet she was overcome with loneliness. She knew she was being silly and that she should master her emotions, but she longed to share her empty bungalow with a companion.

Paltrans, Megalans, Heliac humans and refugees from every asteroid, moon and space station in the Outer Galaxy seemed to be out on this crowded street. A busy marketplace had arisen here in this corridor beneath the skyscrapers.

Food grown in actual outdoor fields was on offer in the shops, rather than the hydroponic or laboratory produced sustenance of space travel. Clothing made for a mild climate was on sale everywhere. Recreational products for use in the skies, jungles, beaches and sea were on display.

It was a novelty to see humans shopping as they had on Earth nearly fifty thousand Earth-years ago.

A bright red sign flashed above a building where a brisk traffic of humans moved in and out of a large entranceway. Capt. Casey walked up to the brightly lit storefront to investigate. Above the main doors, the glowing red sign read “Cyborg Bordello.”

A picture above the doors displayed unclad cyborgs—both male and female versions. The bustling entranceway revealed that this establishment was popular with both male and female humans.

Capt. Casey inspected a full frontal depiction of a male cyborg. The silver form had a ridiculously perfect physique that was obviously designed to push all her female buttons.

“Hmm,” she said. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, right?”

As she examined the depiction, a powerful boom rocked the city. The bustling crowd stopped at once. Everyone ducked in unison. Heads in the crowd then looked about for the source of the sound.

Another huge boom shook the skyscrapers. Frightened screams arose up and down the crowded streets.

Thunderous bangs reverberated through the tall buildings. The humans started to run for cover.

“Look!” a skinny Paltran man said, pointing to a skyscraper that was visible between buildings.

Flames leaped from the side of the tall, black building. A series of molten streaks shot over the sky and then impacted into the side of the smoking building about midway from the top. The superstructure of the building shuddered, and then the entire structure collapsed in on itself with a deafening roar.

Screams and shouts rang out across the city under the crash and din of the collapsing building.

“What is going on?” Capt. Casey said.

A giant dust cloud rushed down the city corridors. Panicked screams and shouts rang out as humans stampeded from an avalanche of dust that was engulfing the streets.

“Thirty thousand humans live in that building!” the Paltran man said, staring in disbelief as the collapsing building disappeared behind the wall of dust. He turned and ran with the crowd—his metal prosthetics quickly carrying his thin legs away.

“What is going on?” Capt. Casey repeated.

She ducked inside the lobby of the Cyborg Bordello as the rushing cloud of dust and smoke swiftly approached and then roared past, blocking out the light of day.

The lobby of the bordello shook under the deafening roar. The humans inside the plush red interior of the building looked confused and frightened.

A nude cyborg male—perfectly proportioned and over endowed—walked up to Capt. Casey and placed his hand on her shoulder. “What is a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” it asked.

“Zip it, Romeo,” Capt. Casey said.

“But I am not wearing pants,” the cyborg said.

“Back off, robot,” Capt. Casey said. She un-holstered her M-2 handgun and peeked out the main door.

Huge explosions shook the building on its foundation.

A Heliac man stood against the wall with his weapon drawn. His face was hard and grizzled. He had deep lines on his cheeks and around his eyes. “Those are armonium cannon rounds,” he said. “They’re targeting the northeastern quadrant of the city.”

“Heliac Defense Forces?” Capt. Casey asked.

“Roger. Regular Army,” he answered. “You?”

“HDF fighter pilot during the war,” she replied.

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” he said. “I’m Staff Sergeant Yancy. I was a team leader in an infantry platoon during the war. If we get to the roof, we can get a look at what’s going on. Follow me.”

“Lead the way,” Capt. Casey said.

“I saw the Diocons in action while a prisoner of the Craaldans,” Sgt. Yancy said over his shoulder as he ran up a stairwell. “Unlike the Craaldans, the Diocons take no prisoners.”

Capt. Casey and Sgt. Yancy pushed past half-dressed humans and nude cyborgs who were rushing down the stairwell.

“What are the Diocons doing out here in this sector, Sergeant?” Capt. Casey asked as she followed behind.

“It’s strange,” Yancy answered. “When I first heard the explosions, I figured it was a Craaldan attack in the offing, until I realized I was hearing a barrage of armonium cannon rounds. But you’re right. The Diocons have no presence in this sector.”

They emerged onto the roof. Dust and debris swirled about amid a thunderous roar of exploding cannon rounds and collapsing buildings. A dozen other humans had taken up positions on the roof. They were humans of every stripe who appeared to have all had some sort of military training at some point in their lives.

Capt. Casey and Sgt. Yancy ducked down behind the building’s ledge. The dust clouds around them glowed red in the light of the roof’s large “Cyborg Bordello” sign.

A Paltran wearing green eyepieces had a rifle pointed out toward the rushing dust.

Capt. Casey and Sgt. Yancy took cover next to him behind the ledge.

“What’s your name, soldier?” Sgt. Yancy asked.

“Rigo,” the Paltran said. “Tarvey Rigo. Who are you?”

“Just an old soldier,” Sgt. Yancy said. “What’s out there, Rigo?”

“They are shelling the Galazar District,” the Paltran said. “Someone is firing down from the mountain ridge, targeting Galazar’s habitation towers. Casualties are going to be heavy.”

“Those are armonium cannons,” Yancy said. “Armonium cannons are Diocon infantry weapons. But Diocon standard operating procedure is to nuke population centers, then soften up the enemy with aerial drones and battle tanks, followed by an infantry assault.”

“This is no Diocon attack,” the Paltran said. “The armonium cannons on the ridgeline are being used as artillery. Ten-man squads of humans are emerging from the foliage and infiltrating into the Galazar District.”

“Humans?” Capt. Casey asked.

“I’ve counted at least ten squads so far,” the Paltran—Rigo—said. “They are slowly advancing toward the city center shooting anything that moves.”

Rigo lifted his rifle and took aim, and fired off a shot. “They aren’t moving tactically. I’ve picked off a couple and they haven’t tried to get a bead on me.”

“Who are they?” Capt. Casey asked.

“They are wearing Heliac Defense Forces body armor,” the Paltran said.

“What?” Sgt. Yancy asked.

“They could be this Crypto Syndicate that Verman Jod warned us about,” Rigo said.

Rigo got up and moved to another position on the roof.

Capt. Casey pulled a pair of binoculars from her belt pack. She peeked over the ledge and peered through the swirling dust, scanning the streets below. She saw a crowd of humans streaming down a narrow street, fleeing from collapsing buildings. Behind them a squad of humans in Heliac Defense Forces armor walked slowly as they fired M-929 assault rifles. They were shooting into the crowd of fleeing humans, mowing them down from behind.

“This is a massacre,” Capt. Casey said. “Staff Sergeant Yancy?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sgt. Yancy said.

“There is an enemy squad approaching on the main street below. They are out in the open and moving as if they expect no resistance. Tell these humans here on the roof that we’re going to fight back. Get these men into concealed fighting positions on both sides of the street below. When this Crypto squad gets into our kill zone, I’ll give the signal and we’ll take them out. Tracking?”

“Roger,” Sgt. Yancy said.

Yancy stood and began barking out orders to the Megalans, Paltrans, fellow Heliac soldiers and other assorted humans on the rooftop. “We’re not going down without a fight! Follow me. Let’s move! Let’s move! Let’s move!”

Down on the street, thousands of humans were rushing past in a mindless stampede as the dust swirled and the rubble rained down. Humans were being trampled. Blood and body parts were everywhere. Streaking armonium cannon rounds impacted the buildings of the northeastern quadrant at a rapid and constant rate. The noise was deafening. Capt. Casey was alarmed by the closeness of the explosions.

In the storm of noise and confusion, Sgt. Yancy masterfully formed the rooftop humans into a squad, placing them into positions on both sides of the street, relaying orders with a confidence and skill honed by years of combat experience.

M-929 rounds spattered all around them, chewing up storefronts and the sides of buildings as the Crypto squad neared. The Cryptos advanced down the street, firing into the fleeing crowd, cutting the stragglers to ribbons.

Capt. Casey picked out a position in the smoldering rubble of a partially collapsed building.

She peeked over a half-collapsed wall. She could see the enemy squad, which was equipped in the white and blue body armor of the Heliac Defense Forces. They wore familiar HDF helmets with black faceplates and were carrying M-929 assault rifles. But the gear looked ancient and unmaintained. These attackers weren’t following any kind of tactics, but were walking down the street firing indiscriminately from the hip, like undisciplined thugs.

The ad-hoc rooftop squad was in position, but Capt. Casey worried that they were seriously outgunned. Only the Paltran Rigo had a rifle, while everyone else had personal handguns.

Capt. Casey could see Sgt. Yancy looking at her from behind a shattered window across the street. She flipped the switch on her M-2 pistol and set it to armor piercing. She then signaled Yancy with a wave of her palm.

Sgt. Yancy fired, and the other humans followed his lead. Capt. Casey stood and fired four quick shots, and watched four armored men crumple. All ten members of the advancing Crypto squad were quickly taken out with the pop-pop-pop of small arms fire. They never knew what hit them.