"Who gives a shit?" Enders asked. "There are ships that come and go from this system all the time. The base isn't that big a secret."

"Not like these ships," Valenti said. "I have a buddy who works up in RAPCON, and she says that—"

"This the same buddy who told you alien ships were secretly coming and docking with the deep-cold storage complex?"

"No…different one. Anyway, she says they're pinging CIS codes, but the radar returns and the way they maneuver don't match any known ship type."

"Valenti," Enders said in a pained voice, "we're on a secret base in the middle of nowhere…CIS ships that are unusual coming around here isn't actually that unusual. Besides, what do you care? They have us around to watch the civilian contractors and keep the Fleet slugs from fighting and stealing. Worrying about weird starships out in the system isn't in the job description."

"You've not curious about—" Valenti was cut off as klaxons blared, and then cut off suddenly. The two Marines looked at each other and rolled their eyes, both thinking it was either someone sitting on a button or another drill.

"All security staff to their posts! ThreatCon Bravo-Bravo! All security sta—" The base-wide intercom hissed and popped a few more times before falling silent.

"What the fu—" Another piercing klaxon alarm went off before that, too, was squelched after a few seconds.

"Bravo-bravo? That means the base is being attacked from within, right?" Valenti asked as he yanked on his boots and pulled his harness from the wall locker next to his rack. "Is this shit real?"

"We have to assume it is," Enders said, his voice far more calm than he felt. He reached for his comlink and found it wouldn’t respond. "We need to get to the armory and pull gear…now!"

Valenti and Enders stumbled from their berth just as a few muted explosions could be heard and felt through the floor. The pair ran harder towards the armory at the end of the long corridor that housed their company's quarters, administrative, and support offices. The armory was near the hardened entrance that could be secured in case of an attack.

As Enders neared the end of the corridor, he was joined by more Marines pouring out of hatchways. The armored hatch that gave access to the rest of the base had been closed and secured. At least Fox Company would at least have a chance to arm and organize themselves without worrying about being hit by an enemy they hadn't even identified yet.

"Sergeant Enders! Get your squad outfitted and organized!" Second Lieutenant Pritchett shouted over the din. Enders looked at where she stood and saw most of the platoon near her, along with ten of his own squad members.

"1^st Squad, 2^nd Platoon…on me!" Enders shouted, stepping back to give himself room as more and more people crammed into the small area. It was quickly turning into a clusterfuck. A few more hard explosions could be felt, and the lights overhead flickered. They were wasting far too much time. The base was obviously under attack, and people just seemed to be milling around with nobody taking charge.