The Bugs had been pushed back to the 3rd deck. The corridors display a true slaughter, the walls are painted with the dark red of the human blood, the pale blue of the bug blood and the burnt black of the energy weapons. They are limbs and guts everywhere and the humans and bugs fighters are forced to watch their steps or to slip and bath in the dead body.

The battle has started three days ago. The fights never stopped, the units were taking turns to allow the men and women to take some rest and receive a bit of medical attention.

The situation was desperate. No one could have seen this coming, and the crew was not prepared to face such a mindless enemies. The bugs were fighting without fear and rest, going again and again until they died.

All the passengers with military records had been sent has reinforcement to the front line on the second day. Today they had started to wake up all of those with any other kind of training that could be of use, policemen, firemen, hunters, even simple people with a gun license. The reinforcement arrived with less and less formation and they need to learn on the job. Some lose their mind at the moment they see the situation and are sent back to the stasis pods or to be of use as logistical support. Others revealed themselves as natural fighters. But the majority don’t last long and add their blood to the walls in a few hours.

The last robot wave passed this morning. It had only some small cleaning robots, the kind that picks the dirt on the ground and takes care of the puddles. The ship still had some robots, but they were too big to be of use in the corridors.

The number of bugs doesn’t seem to change when one goes down, another takes his place. But recently the quality of the bugs appears to diminish a bit.

At this rate, more than 20% of the passengers will be lost, not taking into account the soldiers. But the command center estimates they will be able to push back the Bugs out of the ship in a few days.

Three days later, on the 6th day of battle, the Captain Barnes and his unit reach to the 1st deck. It’s a small victory for them, but the fights aren’t over.

The bugs reinforcements are fewer since the 5th day. That’s what allowed the humans to go from deck 3 to 1 in a little more than a day. It also means that fewer passengers have been put out of stasis to join the fight.

The hull is pierced everywhere, but the air doesn’t escape thanks to a weak energy shield.

From his position, the Captain can see the outer space, the stars, and the enemy ship. A big lump of metal without any aesthetic, there are antennae everywhere on it. Kyle can see the impact marks of Mathilde’s missiles. Sometimes an explosion illuminates the space between the space, and Kyle can see the incoming boarding capsules, with their loads of bugs.

Captain Kyle Barnes “unit” was actually composed of 24 persons. Himself, of course, the Lieutenant Paul, three other members of the original unit. Of the 19 other, seven were from other units, they had joined his after losing their officers. The last 12 persons were passengers called to arms.

During one of their rare moment of rest, Kyle looks by one of the hole in the hull, when he was wandering about the meaning of life, the universe and everything, and what he saw froze his blood in his veins.

A big whirl of light, with a black hole in the middle of it. An iridescent source of light that grows big every second. It’s right in front of the ships, and their current speed they’ll hit it in less than 10 minutes.

Barnes immediately knows it’s not a good sign. At the same moment a message is broadcast through all the ship’s loudspeakers and all the men’s combands:

“Attention everyone! A strange phenomenon just appeared in front of the ship. We don’t know what it is. Orders are to evacuate deck 1, 2 and 3 and to take cover on deck 4. We will close the access to deck 4 in 7 minutes. I repeat…”

Kyle doesn’t listen a second time to the message and doesn’t lose time lamenting himself over all the lives lost in vain to retake the decks, the Captain Barnes gathers his unit.

“Alright! You all heard this? We have less than 7 minutes to go down to deck 4. I want everybody up and ready to go in 30 seconds! Once there we are to secure the access to everyone behind until they are closed.”

On his words, the men and women under his command lift themselves and start to carefully advance to the lower decks.

Four men are running in the direction of Captain Barnes. They are at the beginning of a corridor and the Captain and his men symbolizing the access to safety, on the 4th deck.

When the four men reach the middle of the corridor, five bugs appear at the entrance. They saw the men and make a run for them.

“Bugs! Hurry up!”

Kyle starts shooting at the bugs hoping to give the four men more times to reach the security of the lower deck. He’s quickly imitated by the member of his unit. It’s been three minutes they arrived here and since there they hold the stairs between the 3rd and 4th deck.

The bugs aim their weapon at the humans and start shooting in retaliation.

“10 seconds before sealing of the decks!” The loudspeakers announce. Soon the access to deck 4 will be sealed, and soon after that, the ship will collide with the whirl-light. Everyone still on deck 3 at the sealing time will be considered as lost to humanity.

“Everybody get down the stairs!” Screams the Captain as himself starts to retreat, not turning his back to the bugs.

One of the four men running in the corridor receives a laser beam in the back and fall on the ground, the instant after Barnes shoots the guilty bug. At the same time, the first man crosses him and run down the stairs. The second runner jumps and falls behind Kyle, hurtling down to deck 4.

“5 seconds before sealing of the decks!” The loudspeakers continue their cold countdown.

The last man slips on the ground and a bug catches and guts him, right in front of Kyle. He’s not the first to be eviscerated in front of the Captain, but he was the last one in the corridor.

Barnes catches his last grenade from his belt. He throws it at the nearest bug and jumps done the stairs. The bug avoids the grenade, but the explosive detonates behind it, and the bug is propelled in the direction of the stairs.

“Sealing of the decks!”

The bug splatters on the sealing door and just a leg come true, twitching up the stairs.

The Captain Barnes looks behind him and sees the door leading to the stairs sealed. He made it to safety.

The tension falls down for a second, then the loudspeakers announce something else.

“3 seconds before impact!”

“Everybody on the ground!”

“2 seconds!”

“Be ready, it will shake!”

“1 second!”

“Hold still!”

“Impact!”