step out
near where I saw the desires of the Masters.
Not the
longest time one of Mr Zoat's chekov's guns have sat on the mantlepiece, but still damn useful.
"Illustres to all. Mobile L.E.G.I.O.N. assets within range to my location."
I scan, feeding the results into L.E.G.I.O.N.'s tactical network as I do so. The Leentniar appear to have parked their factory ships throughout an unremarkable system's asteroid belt, their hulls a mix of the thick slabs of armour that their warships have and open sections where the crew are loading raw materials from the asteroids they're harvesting. Other, smaller vessels are -or rather were- making runs between them or grabbing smaller rocks that aren't worth moving a large ship to acquire. Now, they're heading away from the Reach as fast as they can, but their smaller size, weaker shields and thinner armour means that-.
Like bugs scattering in the light... I expect a lot of casualties on both sides...
A Reach squadron pounces on one and destroys it in moment.
Easy to see why no one noticed them here. Most systems don't have rocky worlds orbiting their suns, but this one doesn't even have rocky moons. Without easily exploitable sources of minerals, anyone who surveyed it would note that it wasn't worth bothering with and then leave. Combined with the fact that it's not near anyone's home world and is in the Reach Periphery, it's easy to see why they've been getting away with hiding here.
The problem with hiding in the enemy's back pocket, is that sooner or later, they're going to sit down and notice you...
The Reach forces-. I think that's a periphery fleet. Nothing that hurts their reserves, but also nothing that a Lantern can't deal with. The Leentniar are already moving their defensive military assets into position to block for the factory ships, which are trying to head for the largest of the system's three gas giants. Slowly.
One was definitely going too slowly. The Reach ships are surrounding it and shooting into the slowly closing external hatches-. They weren't blocking the system. That would have made it obvious that someone was claiming it, so there was nothing to stop the Reach dropping right on top of them. The only surprising thing is that they only jumped on one ship. So… A rushed job?
What's the likelihood the Reach fleet were only expecting a mining party? Only to discover they hit the motherlode.
I try to warp, but the Reach are blocking that to keep the Leentniar from reinforcing their factories. Stepping
out and aiming for the desires of the Reach
takes me into range of the main body of the Reach fleet, but it also takes me close enough to the factory ship to see that it's a write off at this point. I can actually see fires burning through the hull in several places, and that doesn't happen unless a ship's insides are a mess.
A major loss for the Leentniar, both in resources and manpower. If it doesn't explode, they
might get to salvage some of the hull, perhaps...
"Ah, Illustres."
I lunge at the closest Reach ship, a warrior-merchant-troop carrier they mass produce because it can be useful but generally isn't fearsome-looking enough to provoke panic. Armour plates appear from subspace as its point defences orientate on me and open fire.
Who's that talking? The Reach commander?
Probably going to gloat his way through the battle...
Not orange lasers.
I form a construct lance as my floating armour plates begin to abrade and charge, the tip of my construct dispersing the ship's shield envelop and shattering the hull. Physics is no friend of space ships, not where relative velocity and kinetic energy are concerned.
So, bug meeting windshield. Or in this case, giant
nail.
"Leave and I don't burn your world."
"I'm sure that you'll try."
Confident fellow, aren't they? Unfortunately, they kicked the hornet's nest...
Reach ships are trying to cluster up, to form overlapping fields of fire with their point defences. I don't have unlimited ablative shields stored, and at the speed I'm moving it won't be practical for me to transmute more. I speed towards the next target, another multirole cruiser.
"These pathetic savages. We've tracked them for generations."
Oh, my. Bet that'll put a bee in the Leentniar's bonnets. If he's telling the truth, their whole migratory ploy has basically been for
nothing.
This one's velocity is closer to my own. The shield envelope holds for a fraction of a second, and only the armour plates facing me shatter. Point defences are abrading my construct armour, but not at anything I'd consider a dangerous rate. I switch my lance for a chainsword and activate it, the construct teeth chomping through the ship's interior and out through the topside. The dying ship exhales a puff of atmosphere as its own momentum finishes the job of tearing it apart, the lights inside fading as the wreck starts to tumble.
Rip and tear! P'aul over in the 40k universe would be proud.
"You didn't try to indoctrinate them?"
"Why keep aliens? I can get a pet when I visit the homeworld."
Yeah, I'm hoping this guy gets to see just how badly he
dun goofed before he dies...
Another cruiser, this one a dedicated warship, turns its main guns away from the crippled factory ship and tries to target me. Unlike the Citadelians the Reach don't use dedicated anti-attack craft ships so it won't have an easy time hitting me, but there's no sense in making it easier than it needs to be. I take a look at their bridge and
step out
The joy of combat teleportation. Never know
where he's going to pop up next.
before emerging from the Honden and decapitating the vessel's captain with an x-ionised sword. I send the sword at the navigation officer and take a purple death ray out of subspace, firing it at the bridge's marines. They're both just a little too slow in bringing their guns to bear. Their armour keeps them upright, but underneath it their torsos are decayed so badly that it's the only thing holding them together.
I send the sword at the gunnery officer, slicing her in half through the torso just as the other ships realise where I am and start shooting their primary weapons at the ship I'm on. I was going to use a bomb, but if they're doing the job for me there's no point. I link to the computer as I call the sword back, hit the 'we've been boarded' alert and
Like a bloody blender. It's an amazing sight compared to how he started out...
step out
just as the first shots start slamming into the shields. Since they're relatively small guns it will take a few shots to breach, giving me a moment to get into position.
Heh, making them waste their time killing a place he's no longer at. It's almost poetic.
"Lantern Gozzi to Illustres. I'm in-system."
"Assist the Leentniar in evacuating and make attacks of opportunity at yours discretion. Co-ordinate with incoming Leentniar and L.E.G.I.O.N. assets as they arrive."
Yeah, at this level, she'd just get in his way. Or become collateral damage for the Reach.
"At once, Illustres."
Another Reach wolf pack descends on a slow Leentniar tug boat only to miss as the ship suddenly speeds up. Nearby Leentniar warships use the opportunity to open fire, space rippling as they try to get a gravity pulse through whatever the Reach are using to dampen things down.
And
of course the Reach have countermeasures for the Leentniar weaponry. If they really have been watching them for decades, it'd be a simple matter to develop them...
The ship I boarded explodes, active sensor scans from the other Reach ships desperately trying to locate me. Curious. Logically, they should either disengage or focus on the Leentniar. The Reach must know that ships like this kill Lanterns only by chance of exhaustion. Even if they don't know exactly how capable I am.
"Do you like our defences? We began implementing it to counter the technique you used against the first Reach ship you destroyed. Once I became familiar with the Leentniar, the application became obvious."
Suggesting that sooner or later, they will be able to actually
counter him. Too bad they're dealing with an
Earthman, who pulls new tricks out of every orifice at the drop of a hat...
I suppose if they're making decisions based on incomplete information it makes sense, but I seldom use eddy pulses. Still, to work out what I did, how to counter it, and then build ships using an unusual technology, that's an impressive turn around time.
I raise my left hand, build up a charge of orange light until the glow is blinding, then fire it at the closest cruiser. The shield fractures as threads of orange light spread out from the point of impact, weakening and cracking it as they go. A heartbeat and it begins to fall away, my shot striking the hull and… Erasing the ship from front to back.
Destruction Pulse, level
9. For when you absolutely
want something
gone.
p But it still leaves some wiggle room to go up to 11!)
Looks like they cut back on their anti-Lantern technologies to make way for whatever they're using to normalise gravity.
"Well done."
"I bought it as a job lot. And any combat data is useful."
What, the Reach commanders have to spend their own funds to get upgrades?
What is this, Mass Effect 2?
But what's more useful for me? Killing all these ships will reassure our allies, letting some escape might encourage the Reach to flee early in future. On balance, I'd rather kill our enemies while I can.
I sight the largest remaining Reach ship and accelerate towards it, a giant rock crusher construct forming in front of me even as small death ray turrets begin sniping crew in what I think are vital positions. The fleet shoots my construct but it holds firm as it rams into their shield, rotating heads chomping through-.
Classy. And leaving the Reach crew no doubt as to their fate.
The shields fail and-.
Qwa matter-
Oh, shi-
