Antumbra - A Lost Cause

Fires Of Revolt - Chapter Forty One

Marcus pulled into a steep climb, pushing his thrusters to the limit, which launched him like a bullet so fast even he had to struggle to turn around in time to attack his enemies. He fired two shots, and two IRT units ceased to exist. In their place was a flash of light followed by molten globules. It was almost unsatisfying to simply shoot his foes after what he had witnessed, but it was still the most efficient way. He spied more units flanking him, or attempting to, and dropped into a dive. He plummeted, the enemy units in hot pursuit, past the edge of the Habitat. He didn't like them getting this close, but they'd been caught off guard, and he couldn't stop and turn lest he get hit. He couldn't take that chance, his personal machine traded armour and protection in order to fly under its own power. He traded safety for speed and mobility, so he dived, angled all thruster nozzles perpendicular, and hit the gas. His Argonaut lurched out of view and out of range of the enemy, under the Habitat. Using the edge for cover was an absurdly negligent move, but that wasn't his goal. Instead he angled himself upside down, digging his feet into the steel underbelly of the floating land mass, and aimed his rifle. As one group the enemy units shot past the edge, hoping to score an easy target, but Marcus was quicker. Five shots went out, five IRT machines went down.

"West Two quadrant is clear," he reported over the radio, "status report."

"East One is clear," an Ensign replied.

"East Two is almost done," another reported.

"We need backup on South Two," a voice said, "their reconvening here."

"East One, West One, move to aid South Two," Marcus said. He received dual acknowledgements and disengaged his suit's feet to fly off himself. He'd burned fuel during that maneuver, and wouldn't have much left to fight with, but he wasn't about to sit back and do nothing.

"North Four moving to backup South Two," he heard an Ensign's voice he was familiar with. Ensign Stoltz, one of Cassius's men.

"Negative. North Four, maintain position," Marcus said, "I'm heading there myself. Stay and guard the transport terminals."

"Roger," the Ensign said with audible disappointment. Cassius' men were known for being 'heroic,' though Marcus preferred 'hotheaded.' Much like their commander they fancied themselves ace fliers who performed acts of daring, but had a habit of putting glory before responsibility. Marcus didn't mind if they risked their lives to put on a show, just as long as it was their lives alone that were in danger, but too much was at stake. The IRT were fighting dirty, going after shipping docks, transport hubs, trying to sneak by near the surface. All bets were off now, and both Eclipse and the normal armed forces were being fully deployed to keep the Habitat safe. Other allied Habitats had offered aid, which the GDU accepted, but only so many soldiers could be spared. For all they knew, attacking the central government was just an elaborate ploy to go after one of the smaller, weaker Habitats. All bases needed to be covered, which meant everyone was being pushed to their limits. Except Marcus. He'd been trained for this, trained for taking out groups of enemies by himself. It wasn't pride or arrogance that made him wish there were more soldiers like him, but with the strict codes of battle that were formerly in place being drilled into active duty members, few soldiers like him had the capacity to think outside the box. It was only because Marcus had rank and social standing that he was allowed to practice and prepare for situations where he was alone.

Yet for all his training and advantages, nothing could have prepared him for the news that Antumbra had been captured. It was a devastating blow to his plans, and a personal loss as he had grown genuinely fond of the Hybrid girl, Arva. Aside from his personal feelings, the loss of the Argonaut meant a loss of a key component. Had he and Cassius not stumbled upon their recent discovery, Marcus might have actually been upset by this development. As it stood, he'd have to work out the details later, the Habitat was under attack now, in more ways than one. Civil unrest had been growing on the surface, and the normal measures of pacifying civilian intrigue were coming up short, just as he assured it would. It did expedite things, however, and was leading to unfortunate ramifications. Hostilities between humans and Hybrids were growing, the Lows were being cut off more and more, with many Hybrids out of work. The outskirts had practically become a warzone, the no man's land between the impoverished Lows and the elitist city where only violence took place. It had gotten so bad Marcus had to move to set up security patrols along the outskirts to suppress fighting and send additional relief efforts, much to the Administration's chagrin.