“We need a section of the Barracks set-up purely for medical use!” Jumping slightly at the loud yell as a white armored woman came rushing into my office, I eyed the emphatically motioning person while trying to control my heart rate. What asshole just barges into someone's personal space while yelling unless it was an emergency!?

“Please, slow down! Who the hell are you?” I finally couldn’t take the incessant talking! I swear my ears were starting to bleed. How did she have that much air in her lungs?

“Oh, right. I’m Doctor Green. A pleasure to meet you, sir, now as I was saying. We need an entire section of that wonderful Barracks out there dedicated to the wonderful use of medicine. I can see it now, sir, out little settlement having the best Doctors…”

Oh God, save me, someone, anyone, Satan? Where is my Satan! I need help! I stared at her, my mouth open, trying to get a word in and she just kept going and going about the wonders of medicine. Fernando, he had to have known this would happen. Why would he subject me to this?!

“ENOUGH! For the love of all that is holy, enough!” I finally couldn’t take it anymore and let out a shout. Alright! Silence, I need to hurry. “You already have relegated space in the Barracks, I saw Fernando’s report, he set aside an appropriate amount of space.”

“But, we need more!” I cut her off before she could continue further. “You’ll get more when we expand! Beyond that, we don’t even have enough people to expand the Medic size, let alone the resources! You’ll have to be patient, please. I’ll get you everything you need, but you have to wait!”

I guided her toward the exit as I spoke, she looked flabbergasted, at least I think she did. Either she was in too much of a rush to lift her visor, or she didn’t do it on purpose. Regardless though, I shoved her from my little office and had the door shut, locking the fucking thing as it did.

Jesus, for someone that fucking tiny she could go on for a while. I’d have to find a way to get even with Fernando, no way did he send her to me not knowing how she was. That was worse than Nova training me, at least she left me with a desire to keep living. Shuddering, I sat back down at my desk, waiting for Nova to report back. Not much else I could do right now.

A few hours later, I had Nova and Fernando outside the Command Center, the afternoon sun beating down on us while we looked at the map, and Nova’s position update for the Pirates. It wasn’t good.

“We have the Blood Wolves, the largest Pirate faction in this sector, leading three of the remaining camps toward our location, the fourth is holding back to see what happens. I suspect that is by design though. Furthermore, judging by the speed they are moving, I expect them here by dusk. They want to raid us at night.”

Goddamnit. I should have expected this, but still. Listening to Nova, and staring at her enemy representing figures. “Numbers?” Fernando asked calmly, as normal.

“Roughly one-thousand Pirates. I saw at least fifty in Marine armor. The numbers won’t matter much if we can get some form of barricade up to hold out while I pick off their leadership. What matter is if your men can hold the line long enough for me to do so.”

Apparently, the dislike had become mutual between the two, and I saw Fernando stiffen at the implied insult. All I could do is sigh internally at the back and forth. Staring at the Map, their direction of travel had no real funnels to use as kill points, and they could hit us from all sides with those numbers.

“Alright, Fernando, I need you to get the SCV Riggs moving, take down Shelters if you have to for the raw materials, but I want a small barricade wall surrounding our immediate area. Pull all the men back to this central point, we can reclaim our lost ground when we make it through this siege. Nova, did they have anything else?”

She shook her head while running her finger along a portion of the map before continuing, Fernando already calling out on his com to relay my orders. “This will be where they funnel the majority of their troops. Going off the mentality of Pirates, they will use the small Camps to distract us. I doubt we will see any armored enemies in the first assault, but they could surprise us.”

She paused, thinking before moving her hand to another section of the map, likely where she believed they would set up camp. “I’ll head her, and systematically take out the Captains and the smaller camp leaders. Taking out the Blood Wolves command structure will be harder, greater numbers and by all reports, their leader is a paranoid, ruthless, person.”

I would be to if I were a Pirate leader. Alright, Nova would almost certainly wreck havoc on the enemy without too much issue. The main problem would be setting up the Barricades, I know I said I wanted a wall but I highly doubted I’d get one. I’ll trust Fernando with the details.

“Get started Nova, I’m going to get something else prepared for the coming attack, and Nova? Be careful.” The last wasn’t really needed but I felt it would be useful for her to understand I was thinking of her well being as well. Memories of what happened to Sarah happen to be pretty prominent in my mind at the moment for some reason.

Nova faded into nothing as her cloaking ability took over, and I turned to Fernando. “Get everything done, and send your three best Marines to the armory. I’m breaking out the Marauder armor.”

“Sir, I have to respectfully disagree with that course of action. It would take to long to get any of the men ready to use it without blowing up our own soldiers right now. This includes you.”

I eyed him, knowing he was right but...still. “Then how do you suggest we do this? We have massive numbers coming toward us and less than four hours to get a large number of Barricades ready, not to mention our men are all Militia with no formal military training, aside from what you’ve managed to cram into them, so please give me an option.”

He paused, looking at the map while he frowned. “Move the barricades in closer, and rather than a wall set them at intervals where anyone not armored can push through. When they swarm us, we will cut them down, and when their numbers let them in close they will go for the easiest entrance. I’ll have the men pull back at as calm a retreat as I can, and then we lob grenades into their ranks. I’ll place myself at the point where your Ghost says they will focus the majority of their numbers. It will stem the tide, give her time to do her job.”

I sighed, audibly, but nodded. It was a solid plan, but it would still cost us, men. A lot of good men, if things went poorly. I really didn’t want to lose any of my soldiers right now, I knew I’d need them for later, not to mention I had no idea how the System would grant me more.

“Alright, get your plan in motion. I’ll take the sides, moving from locations that are under the heaviest pressure away from the main fighting. Pickoff what I can, and leave the pressure on the Militia.”

He didn’t seem happy about me putting myself in danger like that, but he agreed all the same. In my mind, I couldn’t ask them all to risk their lives and not do so myself after all. I’d have fought Fernando on this matter, and done it regardless. Likely why he didn’t say a thing about it.

-Three hours later-

The area around me was awash in activity, countless Civilians were funneling their way into the Command Center for safety, the SCV Riggs were finishing the last few barricades surrounding our little defensive point, and my Militia were running here and there to get into position before the enemy came barreling down upon us, not unlike a Zerg wave, if the few updates Nova sent were anything to go by.

My Medics were setting up a small triage center just outside the Command Center, prepping for anyone that got injured and managed to be dragged to them. Dr. Green, the mouth of a million words, was barking out technical terms, screaming, and otherwise being short and concise which scared me for some reason. Fernando was studiously ignoring the woman, and me when I eyed him after speaking with her to get her to set up the medical center again. That’s right, he knew, and I was getting even if we made it through this.

“Nova reporting, timetable increased. Expect the Pirates in thirty minutes, Sir.”

“Alright, once they get within five-hundred feet I want you to start taking their leaders out Nova.”

An affirmation of the order and then radio silence. My orders there, no idea if they had a means to monitor our channels yet. “Fernando, you heard her. Get everyone in position.” He saluted and went to the main section the enemy should hit, with the fifty Militia guarding it, while the remaining fifty were split evenly around the Command Center at the barricades.

I closed my eyes, took multiple deep breaths, fully centering myself, and hefted my weapon, lowering the Tactical Stealth Suit visor, and cloaking. It was time to protect my people, my land, and my life.

When the Pirates finally came, it was seen as a dust cloud on the horizon that slowly turned into a black blob, expanding outward to encompass a large portion of the area surrounding us. My solace in all of this was that even with a thousand of them, they couldn’t rush in and hope their numbers crushed us. After all, I highly doubted these savages had a Ghost like me.

When we were surrounded, I was on our Eastern flank, a group of ten Militia with me, appearing worried. I clapped one's shoulder, garnering their attention. “You see that big group of stinky bastards out there soldier?” I asked him, faux cheer in my voice.

“Those are all moving targets for you to improve upon, they just shoot back.” my lame joke earned me a few nerve-wracked chuckles before I continued, more seriously. “They want to take everything we have here, men. Take it and do far worse. Some of you have family in that Command Center, some of you have wives, children, parents. That fear you have right now? Own it, acknowledge it is there and then make it your bitch. Not for you, but for the men and women beside you, and for those people back there depending on us to hold this line.”

A few of them froze, visibly straightening, while a few others seemed unsure but understood they had to fight to keep their families safe. Though, to be fair, I had no idea if we had children with us. As far as I knew the System gave me adults. I’d have to correct my error later when I had time.

A horn sounded out, and I saw the tide of Pirates moving forward, like Nova originally thought, the majority were focused at our central point. To help that along, Fernando purposely made those barricades seem less finished when in reality that field was a death trap. He’d rigged every inch of land thirty feet out from his location with tripwire triggered grenades. The second one of those bastards hit that wire, boom!

In fact, that is precisely what happened, multiple loud explosions were suddenly heard, cutting off the hoots, whistles, and general mind warfare these Pirates seemed to use. That’s when the screams started, not loud to us here, but a faint whisper on the wind. The dying that were hit by the shrapnel. It made me smile, the men near me giving a cheer of joy. Though I had no idea if it would work again, it would make them less likely to hit our flanks at first, if for no other reason than fear we had worse where we had fewer men.

Then we heard the shooting start, Fernando opening fire on the disoriented and disorganized front line of the Pirates. I wanted to be there to see it as well, but I had my own job to do right now, and here it came. Roughly thirty Pirates were moving in on our flank here. I lifted my rifle, taking a shit at the lead runner, striking him somewhere in the chest. He went down into a roll that tripped the few behind him. “OPEN FIRE!!!” I screamed, starting to pick my targets where they would do the most damage, a headshot here, a headshot there. All but a few of my own bullets finding their mark.

The men around me were spending ammo far too quickly though, if they kept that up our stores wouldn’t last. “Ease up boy, time your bursts!” I screamed over the fire, taking another Pirate out, the top of his skull flying off somewhere behind him while brain matter splattered onto one of the few remaining.

“West wall under heavy fire, need immediate assistance!” My com came to life with the request for aid and making sure the men here would be fine, I ran to the Western flank. We had two teams of twenty, and one team of ten Militia. West and South had the twenty man teams. Fernando had made the men leading those sections Corporals, they were the ones who took the first camp with us, the better ones at least.

“This is Fern, en route to your location,” I called out over the com, moving at a sprint, surprised at the speed. Apparently, Psi-energy did a lot for your physical body as well. When I arrived, I saw my men pinned under fire, at least one-hundred Pirates were lobbing grenades and shooting with wild abandon at them. Two of the Militia were down, not moving.

I felt something snap at that point, and began shouting out orders left and right, bringing order to the chaos, having men bring the two downed back behind the barricades under cover fire, taking kill shots at the Pirates all the while, sending the five heavily injured, one missing a leg, to the Medics under two-man escorts. It lowered my men here to about nine, but it didn’t matter. I told them to unload, and I turned my rifle to semi-automatic, focusing all of my mental acuity on unloading three round burst into the enemy mob.

When we took them down, I’d lost another two Militia, no...Marines to the Pirates. I was done terming them Militia, regardless of their designation. The dead earned the Marine name, as have the survivors. “South, send five men here if you can, I want these numbers shored up! Fernando, report!”

“Sir! They are moving in hard, they sent at least five-hundred at my position, we held and they are retreating now. We took casualties though, Sir. Ten men are gone, I’ll have the tags collected.”

I screamed mentally in frustration, anything out loud would only demoralize the men. “Get their bodies to the Command Center. I’m checking in with Nova, switching to the restricted channel.”

“Nova! Report!” I said, hoping for good news. She was an Elite Ghost agent in the game, among the best.

“Sir! I took out the two smaller Camps Leaders and roughly twenty-five Captains. Continuing the mission to disorganize enemy command structure.”

It was good news, but not the kind I wanted. I wanted the kind that said they were all dead. I’d lost men, men I never bothered to learn the name of because of the fucking System not deeming them worth one. I’d learn them all when we finished these fuckers.

I eyed where Fernando was and made my way there. Something had to change, I refused to lose more men than I had to, time for plan B.