Our mighty flotilla of three cobbled together rafts set sail on its maiden and only voyage without further delay. Spirits were high among our crew, it was uplifting to finally be proactive in this fight. The river's current was slow, which suited our inexperience. We encouraged our pace with oars improvised from shovels and the like. As we sailed towards the city centre, I was able to catch glimpses of how the bottle had free across the city. Many buildings were damaged superficially, from both the Vakarians and looters. Some were even burned out husks. Corpses were scattered around the streets, shoppers and tourists slaughtered in the first wave, no doubt. In some places stray animals and pets without owners had resorted to using these bodies as a food source. In some isolated sections we passed, there were encouraging sights, people were still alive, and still fighting.
As we neared the marina outside of the Elysian, the number of Vakarians patrolling the shores increased. They had been easily able to track us along our journey, and it was here that they had concentrated their forces. Desperate for a positive outlook, I took this to mean that we were indeed in the right place. My raft was leading the convoy, such as it was, while Susan and Dave captained the others. Thirteen students accompanied us, spread across the three rafts. As my raft approached, we cast out hooked ropes, securing ourselves on the pier. My companions did likewise.
The Vakarians watched us, jeering and taunting but not yet intervening. Their code of honour compelled them to wait until we could face them openly. Thus, we were able to dock safely and climb onto the pier. The Elysian towered in front of us, 12 stories high. Between us and it lay an unpaved carpark full of construction materials and tools. Oh, and an estimated total of four hundred Vakarians. I roared an order to my fellows to begin, as did the Vakarians. The battle for planet Earth, for time itself, had begun.
Taking on such numbers directly would have been suicide, of course. We had to make our way into the building, secure a stairway, and ascend. We formed a rough V-shape aimed at the Elysian, with me and my companions at the helm, and pushed directly forward. These Vakarians we tougher than most we had fought so far. The Warchief had sent his best to defend such a critical asset, it seemed. However, their skill was little match for our improved defenses. We were all armed with shields, some left over from the MedRen stock, others little more than sheets of scrap metal salvaged from the campus sheds. We ploughed into their ranks, deflecting and diverting their blows and we steamrolled through.
It was only a matter of time before one of us faltered however. Sarah staggered on the uneven surface, falling to one knee and dropping her shield for a brief window. The nearest alien capitalized on it, sinking his blade deep into her flesh. Suddenly, our formation was split on one side, and the Vakarians poured in, separating us further. Before her attacker could strike again, Sarah urged us to continue on. Then, the Vakarians closed it and we were cut off. Every instinct I had urged me to go back, help the others who had been cut off, but I couldn't. Reaching the scout ship would reset this whole mess, it was the only thing that mattered now. Even if it meant leaving some die for now.
Eventually, we had forced our way to the entrance of the building itself. Surprisingly, there were no Vakarians on the inside. Presumably, they all wanted to remain outside to fight for the glory of stopping us. Our group was severely diminished now, with just Dave, Susan and two others remaining with us to fight.
"Arven. Sue. Get inside, hey up there, stop them, however you can." Dave urged, as we burst through the glass doors of the Elysian.
"What about the rest of you?" I asked.
"We can look after ourselves. Besides, someone has to keep this lot from following you upstairs." He continued. Vakarians were now pouring in too, breaking windows all around the lobby to enter.
"Stay safe." I said, trying to remain stoic. "And thank you."
"Just get up there and reverse this whole damn war. Don't make me regret this, that's all I ask."
With that, the Vakarians were on top of them again. Reluctantly, Susan and I continued upwards, and to what we hoped would be our salvation.
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