Hopefully, I can resist

Five hours until rescue ship arrival

The sniper kicked against Cerviel's shoulder when I squeezed the trigger. The shot flew true and struck a red star.

The counter decreased by one.

"Cerviel, give me the next target." My body moved as she adjusted her aim. I pulled the trigger when the crosshairs in my visor aligned with the falling star.

The counter decreased by one.

"Six shots remaining."

"How far are they out?" I asked.

"Closest target is fifteen seconds away."

"Give me that one." A third star came into view when the sniper aimed higher. C'mon... I adjusted the aim slightly downward and squeezed the trigger.

The counter decreased by one.

"Next!"

The counter didn't decrease.

"Again!"

The counter decreased by one.

"Three shots remaining," Cerviel reported.

"Next!"

"Warning - incoming attack."

A demon slammed into the ground next to us. I didn't pause. I widened my stance and aimed the sniper. The demon's head exploded as the bullet tore through. Two other demons slammed against the ground behind the carcass of my latest victim. I only needed to squeeze the trigger.

Which I did.

The bullet exploded the left-most demon's head. The other demon stepped closer before I could aim. A swing of its arm shoved the sniper's barrel away before its fist slammed against Cerviel's chest. I gasped for breath as the haptic suit reported the impact. Cerviel didn't have this problem. She stepped backward and tried to readjust her aim. Another step forward saved the demon when Cerviel squeezed the trigger.

"Magazine empty." Cerviel said.

"But we're not out of options." I shifted the sniper to Cerviel's left hand before punching with the other. Several teeth flew through the demon's jaw as it stumbled backward. The blow gave me the opening I needed to grab the sniper by its barrel.about this, Nova. I swung the sniper as hard as I could. The demon's head snapped sickeningly as the butt of the weapon slammed against its head.

The counter didn't decrease.

"C'mon!" Flowing with the momentum, I brought the sniper over my head before swinging it down. The blow brought the demon to its knees, but the counter didn't change. "Come on!" Only when a third blow shattered the sniper's stock against the demon's head did the counter decrease.

"Finally." I puffed as Cerviel dropped the broken sniper's barrel.

"Warning - three incoming targets," Cerviel said.

"Where's the big one?"

"Two minutes out."

The ground shook as more demons made planetfall. The radar reported five were close, but I could see four. Two demons turned their attention toward the Kaif dome, whereas the last two stomped toward me with a howl.

"Here they come."

The haptic suit vibrated as I unsheathed Cerviel's sword. I itched to engage them, but putting distance between myself and the Patlix dome wouldn't be the smart idea. So I waited. Impatience got the better of a demon who started running when he was about ten meters out. I swung the sword when the distance decreased to three meters. The attack separated the demon's arm from its body. The demon powered through the blow and slammed its shoulder into Cerviel's chest. I gasped for breath at the impact, and the impact from slamming into Patlix nearly made me black out.

"Damage detected. Activating left gauntlet blade." Cerviel said.

I stuck forward, hoping I would hit something in the spinning world. Cerviel must have helped. I felt some resistance in my arm before the demon roared in pain.

"Again, pilot Vega."

I did as she asked. And a third time. A fourth. A fifth. The world came into focus with every blow I dealt. The sixth strike forced the demon to step backward. A swing from my sword separated its head from its chest.

The counter decreased by one.

"Incoming." Cerviel leaped to the side as the second demon slammed into Patlix's base. The failed charge stunned the demon and gave me enough time to strike the sword through its neck.

The counter decreased by one.

"Warning - the class eight has made planetfall," Cerviel said.

"Where?"

"It's on the northern end of Asbestos." A large dot on the radar confirmed her words. The smaller dots focused on the Kaif and Muthafa domes. It pained me, but I knew it would be foolish to help. There was no one there to protect, and the mass of demons would overwhelm me. I could fight one or two at a time. Taking on more than that would result in a swift death.

No. While the demons were our attackers, time was the true enemy. The domes would serve as a momentary distraction. It wouldn't be long before they fell.

The thought scared me.

"Vega?" Bootes spoke through the earpiece. "You seem to have a small opening. How's Cerviel holding up?"

"The last attack damaged a motor in her right arm, but it's still functional. Nova's sniper is destroyed."

"We saw. Several people cheered when you slammed it against the demon's head." I smiled at the thought. "I think this is the first time so many are seeing the fight up close."

"Let's hope it's the last. How much longer until the ships arrive?"

"Four and a half hours," said Bootes.

"I'll be dead by then. Can we thin the herd while the demons are distracted?"

"Not unless you have a ranged weapon."

"That's a pity." I dropped the connection. More than twenty dots surrounded the red domes. The class eight kept itself apart from the rest of the attack. It almost looks like it's supervising the others, I thought.

"Cerviel, how long can the domes withstand the assault?" I asked.

"I estimate around thirty minutes."

"That still leaves us with a gap of four hours." I blew out a breath. Is there really nothing I can do to thin them a bit?

An idea struck as I rubbed the inside of my glove.

"How much power do you have left?'

"Power core is running at thirty-six percent capacity."

"That's more than enough."

Command would undoubtedly berate me if she knew what I was considering. Her mental representation was already yelling words like "reckless" and "insane". My idea was all of that, and also a last-ditch effort.

"Cerviel, I have a plan, but it involves moving away from here. Warn me if any demon gets within fifty meters of the Patlix dome."

"Yes, pilot Vega. What do you intend to do?"

My finger rested on top of the button inside my glove "We're going to do some ranged attacks."