This Forsaken World

This Forsaken World Chapter 2

'Alright, now that the debriefing is over, lets head to the space station bar and get some alcohol in our system, we have twenty four hours of leave, lets take advantage of this." A collective 'Yes' resounded among everyone as they exchanged high fives. I grinned and led everyone out of the room.

Sergeant Victor Grimm

The squad had managed to sneak aboard one of the transport ships heading for a resupply mission on the orbital space station. Everyone knew if we were caught by the military police or a nosy officer the reprimand would be horrible, but we also knew we could die any day due to our jobs and we took advantage of every moment we were alive. The trip was rough, the pilot of the transport ship obviously running late and in a hurry, and several of us hit our heads on the ride up.

After what felt like a year, we finally docked with the station and waited as the airlock umbilical extended and we filed out of the cramped storage space. Luck was with us as there was no guard, and we breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Alright, the bar is on the second level, there are a lot of spacers up there so try not to act like soldiers or this trip is going to be cut short. We're simply cargo haulers meeting for a cold one, everyone got it?" I asked, looking from one squad member to the next.

After I felt confident we could pass by safely without attracting unwanted attention, we made our way to the second level and filed into the very spacious bar. The place was luxurious and well stocked. They had every type of alcoholic beverage you could fit on a shelf, with a small food menu and a long oak bar-top. There were scattered tables with two to eight seats and several benches ran the outer length with red padded cushions.

Unlucky for us, there were three separate fighter and bomber squadrons from the carriers spread throughout the bar. A handful of deck officers were seated in a corner with a range of mechanics, weapons officers and some trainees scattered about. I breathed in heavily, hoping things wouldn't escalate, and indicated my squad take a table away from the others.

The soldiers of the U.E.D.F. were talking excitedly among themselves and I made my way to the bar to place our orders. The bartender stared at me suspiciously but kept things professional. "What can I get you?" He asked, wiping down a glass and placing it upside down on a clean cloth. The man was obviously suspicious of my group and he kept casting sidelong glances at the fleet officers.

"We'll have six orders of barbecue wings and a steady supply of beers. Also some cheese sticks if you would please." I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the bar-top. The man stared at me for a moment before lowering his voice so only I could hear it. "Look, I know you guys aren't supposed to be up here and I really don't want a brawl to break out so could you please keep it quiet. I don't want things to blow up, I just bought those tables after the last fight."

I gave the man a reassuring grin and a wink, heading back to the table and taking my seat. The truth was, if the spacers wanted to start something, I really wasn't sure if I could stop my squad from taking them up on the offer. The hatred between fleet personnel and ground troops was a long standing feud of hatred and jealousy.

The U.E.D.F. despised the spacers since they were living in luxury in space. They had fresh food, clean clothing, plentiful water, warm quarters and nothing to threaten there lives on a daily basis. The people trapped on the surface either died from starvation and exposure, being torn apart by ravenous zombies, or suffered from rampant crime and violence among there fellow humans.

Everyone aboard spaceships or space stations were under the impression everything was okay on the ground since the great walls protected everyone, but things were getting worse by the day as resources became even more scarce and the population was too large for the small space they were trapped in. While me and my squad did our best to defend the walls against the zombies, we couldn't fight a battle on two fronts and there was literally no military or police presence within the cities.