KATO-1

It wouldn't take long for them to break through the bridge bulkhead. Ten of us stood with full tactical awareness of the situation, and how bleak the odds were. Two of our men stood braced onto the structural pillars just past the blast door, short range splicers trained forward. The rest of us took up firing positions on the higher platform of the bridges command and control station, using various consoles and pillars as cover. Captain elected to take the doomed position manning the con. We did not have enough weapons to go around as the firefight had already used most of out munitions.

The laser cutters worked relentlessly at the blast door. The heat bearing inside the room like the winds of a desert world. I could feel the droplets of sweat hanging on my brow, my own pulse shaking one free every other moment. The cutters worked from the far sides of the door along its seem in the middle where they connected and sealed the room. We had maybe a minute before they filled the room.

KayLo was to my left, I could hear her whimpers as her wet face pressed against her rifle. She was a scientist, not a soldier. Most of these people weren't soldiers, this wasn't even our war. Captain cleared his throat and tried his best to hide the panic in his voice, "The asteroid belt is only a few thousand meters from our current position. When those doors open I will attempt a high-G maneuver, that should catch them off balance and buy us some time." He turned to face his young crew, "Do not let them onto this bridge. No matter the cost." We clipped our EVA harnesses into place.

The cutting stopped. The silence was unbearable. With a clunk the doors parted horizontally, the exhaust smoke from the cutters pouring into the room. Following the smoke, three round objects slid into the room. At that moment, Captain smashed the accelerator forward and violently twisted the yolk. We barely held on, the clips keeping us from smashing into the walls and ceiling. I gave the order, "Fire!" The splicers got off only a single round when the round objects detonated, vaporizing the two men instantly. The hail of laser fire exited the room in a chaotic array.

Captain jerked the yolk again, taking us deeper into the asteroid belt. The Zelo mother-ship has taken pursuit. However, it was too large to navigate through the field, leaving the troops onboard stranded until they could plot an intercept course. The odds were still not good, a platoon of Zelo troops were still outside the besieged bridge. That's when I noticed it. They haven't returned fire.

I gave the order to hold fire. The seven of us still in firing positions tightened up on Captain. He was the only one who could pilot the ship, the other helm officers were killed when the troops first boarded. Our ammo was now critically low, only a handful of charge-packs left between us. It was silent again.

"Milo," KayLo began to whisper to me, "did we get them?"

"No." I knew they just wanted to wait us out, let our ammo deplete.

"What do we do!" KayLo said frantically.

"We hold the fucking bridge, or we die."

I was never one to reassure. Especially now, there was no point in lying. We all knew our fate. Captain had stayed quiet during this exchange, his focus on navigation. While we would likely be slaughtered here, being killed via a head on collision with an asteroid somehow seemed worse. "Everyone," I started, "stack up on the exit. Kay, stay here with Cap and cover us. When we enter the hallway reseal the door with the emergency bypass."

"Not an option." Captain barked, shattering the eerie quiet, "We will get out of this, I just need to get satellite contact with Solara's moon base. They can send out a patrol squadron to scare off the mother-ship."

"That doesn't take care of the more immediate issue of the fucking army on board, sir."

"We hold the bridge until they can scramble a boarding team."

"Sir, they are trying to dry us out we wont survive another high-G--"

We flew level too long. We should have kept up the G's. Some of the troops had EVA'd out, magnetized to the hull of out ship. They were just coming into view on the corners of the glass in front of Captain. They were placing charges.

"Contact!" screamed Vitro. The blast doors were resealing themselves.

"Admin override, now!"

"We're locked out!" Beemo yelled as he banged his fist onto the nearby console.

The soldiers disappeared from the glass, retreating back to the airlock most likely. We were trapped. We were going to die. I am going to die. Captain sunk in at the helm, the color was completely gone from his face. With an inhuman speed he ripped the pistol from KayLo's hands, placing it to his temple. I was too far away.

We were all standing there. His corpse bent awkwardly against the control console. His splattered remains covering KayLo and myself. I remember when I met the man some ten years ago. He didn't deserve this, not here, not for this war. They never wanted our cargo, we were a science vessel for fucks sake. We were a fucking message to these animals. A smoke signal to ignite a blaze. We were just the cost of doing business.

Everyone else took Captain's way out. I don't blame them. KayLo was inconsolable, death by vacuum was too cruel for her. So I held her as she cried into my armor. I used by utility blade, severing her spinal cord at the base of her skull. She didn't feel a thing. I didn't have the courage to follow the others. I took my seat at the helm and closed my eyes...

There was static for a moment. Then a rumble. The charges still hadn't detonated yet.

"This is the Solara Patrol Squadron, come in KATO-1. We have eliminated the Zelo troops in your hull. The Zelo destroyer has been fended off by the Planetary Navy. Sit tight, we're boarding now."