Starfire
Copyright© 2025 by Mark Randall
Chapter 34
In the days following the rescue of the Hastings Cutoff, Paul and Lucy Golden had planned out the defense of the engineering section. At first, it was suggested that they just close the various blast and airtight doors leading to the main entrance of the section. This was disregarded when it was pointed out that if the raiders used explosives to breach those doors, there would be structural damage that could lead to an air leak, which the airtight doors couldn’t then contain.
What was decided was that barricades disguised as packing crates would be put into place. These would serve two purposes. The first was to convert the passageways into an obstacle course that the raiders would be forced to navigate. Second, those barricades would provide makeshift bunkers to provide cover and shelter for the defenders.
To disguise the true purpose, anybody questioning what was going on would be told that the Engineering section was preparing to do a major overhaul and the crates contained equipment and parts needed for that overhaul. What was unsaid was that the questioners would then become suspects, and a discreet background check would be conducted, followed by covert surveillance.
Fortunately, there were a few curious onlookers, and the checks did not discover any suspicious patterns.
Paul even had time to set up a few surprises for the Hasting raiders.
Paul and his team were in position when the first of the Hasting raiders came into view. They stopped at the first barricade, which stretched from wall to wall. He immediately called into Security control and gave David a contact report.
“Sir, I’ve got about 7 or 8 of the raiders approaching now.”
“Copy Paul, how are you doing? You ready for this”?
“As ready as I can be, sir. I’ve got a good crew here.”
“Good man, if things start to get rough, let me know and I’ll get some reinforcements heading your way.”
“Thank you, Sir.” He said this as the Hastings leader stepped forward. Paul recognized him from his mission briefs on the raiders.
Their leader was a big man, a really big man. It was obvious that he wasn’t a waiter, as listed on the Hastings crew manifest.
“OK, partner,” Paul called out, “That’s far enough. This area is restricted and closed to unauthorized persons.”
“Yeah, we kinda figgerd that out, genrul. But me and da guys,” he waved at the dozen or more people behind him, “We’s jist thought you folks could use some help. What with that yellow alert an everything.”
“No, we’ve got plenty of people here. We’re fine, and you need to return to your quarters.”
“Nah, we’s gonna haf to insist. We’s jist gonna take over here and youse guys can go somewheres else.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“And if’n we’s insist?”
Paul raised his shotgun and racked a round into the chamber. “That would be a mistake, a very bad mistake.”
“Whoa, time out genrul, we’s get it. We’s jist gonna go wheres we’s wanted.” He turned, but didn’t start moving.
Suddenly he spun around and raised his pistol, but there was no one there.
When he had turned around, Paul and the rest of his exposed team ducked down behind the barricades.
This confused the raiders for a moment. The leader paused while he tried to figure out what had happened.
Paul had been counting on this, and he raised up, shotgun aimed and put a round into the Hastings leader’s chest. A 12-gauge shotgun round at 10 feet leaves a very big hole. When Paul fired, that was the signal for the first team to fire. They too rose up and blanketed the corridor with shotgun fire.
Most of the front rank of the Hastings crew went down, but some didn’t. Others were wounded but still in the fight. That was when the Hastings crew started returning fire.
After Paul’s team fired, they ducked back down under the barricade. Then, when there was a lull, one of them would raise up and fire.
The Hastings raiders were taking heavy losses but were still in the fight after 15 minutes. Paul’s team wasn’t unscathed. Even Paul was wounded. A pistol round had creased his upper left arm. He was hurt but not badly enough to be taken out of the fight.
Slowly, Paul started pulling his men back. One at a time, until he was the last one at that barricade. That was when he made sure that the attackers knew he was abandoning his position. The raiders took advantage of this, and two of them combat rolled over the first barricade.
That was when they discovered his first surprise. The deck between the first and second barricades was covered with razor-sharp blades. Because the raiders came over in prone positions, they suffered cuts and slices all over their bodies. Then, to make things worse, when they tried to stand, their hands were cut to ribbons.
That was when Paul’s second rank of defenders went to work. These were the crossbowmen. There were 8 of them. The first four fired and then crouched to reload, while the second rank rose and fired. While the crossbowmen were at work, Paul and his shotgunners were reloading.
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