Vex Chronicles 2: Outbreak

Holding out

Maglev train 76, close to Cornellius station

The maglev had passed the first train stop without halting. And that told Jubelius that he had made the right choice. This was not normal train operation. They were running into enemy territory. And they could either hide or fight like the Imperial soldiers they were.

They had barricaded all freight module entrances with the exception of one. It just couldn't be sealed. The module held large containers, too heavy to be moved by hand alone. And there was no hauler like in the other two. On top of that, the double-wing door was too large to fully block with rubble and other material. They had to defend it the traditional way. With barricades, sweat and blood...

Adept Alaftus could not commandeer the servitors. His rank was not high enough to have authorization codes. And he lacked the experienced to find a way around that. That left them with only manual welding work. And barely anybody had experience with that. But they had done their best. And they could only hope that the enemy would not find a way past badly welded doors.

The maglev had started to decelerate and Cornellius station rushed closer. Two squads of conscripts sat between improvised barricades and atop freight boxes to hold the freight entrance. Another conscript team held the passenger entrance above Jubelius head, assisted by the marksman under Faradia's command.

"I hate to loose our mobility," Jubelius protested.

"The curse of a drop trooper, eh?" Hagartus, the sergeant of the conscripts replied.

Jubelius twitched his shoulders. "No, I just hate to sit behind barricades, knowing that there is no reinforcements..."

There was one elevator in this wagon that lead from the freight area up. There were stairs too. But both were too far away from the entrances were the two teams had barricaded. Reinforcing one defense with men from the other was not really feasible.

And so Jubelius had not held back any reserves. Every man was on the front. And those without weapons had grabbed knifes and heavy tools. Only a few had been assigned as runners. Those 'non-combatants' would gather and redistribute the weapons of the fallen. And they would haul away dead and injured to keep the barricades clean. A job most of the civilian workers were assigned at.

"You think we're overreacting?," Hagartus asked.

Jubelius groaned. "My friend Herdeus is dead. If this is all a big misunderstanding, then his death would be meaningless..."

Hagartus looked worried at the other sergeant. "Don't turn suicidal on me. I want to survived this. I want to return home safe."

"And you think I don't?" Jubelius forced a grin onto his face. "If there would have been any safer place, sunny preferred, I'd be the first to go there."

"Just making sure," Hagartus made a pacifying gesture.

"Alaftus?," Jubelius send over the short range comm. "Any progress?"

The adept had returned to his cockpit pulpit. But he hadn't been very successful. And that hadn't changed.

"I tried my best, sir. Really. But I just can't do it. The emergency protocols can't be overwritten. Maybe once we have stopped the protocols might shut down..."

"It's okay, Alaftus," Jubelius tried to calm the adept down. "Just... You have binoculars in your pulpits?"

"Yes, sir. Am I lookout?"

"Exactly. You're out eyes out there."

"I.. I'll do my best."

Jubelius looked at the barricades. There was nothing else he could do to prepare further. And so Jubelius returned to the first class and peeked out of the window. But all he could see was the plumes of smoke in the distance. Wasn't that where the forward front had been established? Squad Usmantis had been send out there into the mess.