Ex Nihilo - Abyssal Prophecy

Chapter 29

With all ships in formation, Magnus activated his ship's engine to lead the forces towards the outpost. Magnus plotted the easiest path through the debris field and uploaded his flight path to the other ships. The group could see the massive four-mile-long force field surrounding the docking bay. Pushing the engine throttle, Magnus increased his velocity and turned.

            “Once we enter the outpost, the internal sensors will detect us as intruders. Our clearance codes won’t deactivate the internal defenses. This outpost may not have a living soul on it, but it isn’t abandoned, either.” Magnus pressed a few buttons to bring up the outpost’s internal defenses on a nearby screen and transmitted the information to the other ships. Bringing engines to the maximum, he raced ahead, knowing he had to take out as many of the defense before the ships landed.

Gabriel recognized point defense weapons in the docking bay, automaton defenders, and many different types of traps located throughout. He activated his neural implant and transmitted the data to his sons and troops. Standing up, Gabriel marched out of the bridge and towards the lift. He descended to see his troops waiting in the cargo hold.

He jumped down from the lift as it approached the cargo bay floor and marched towards Kain and Matthew. They were already discussing the information they had received with the commanders of the various companies of Clan Officer. Everyone turned to face their captain. Gabriel looked into the eyes of his battle-hardened troops.

“I am sure my first officer has briefed you on the situation. When we land, the outpost defenses will be activated. From the looks of it, the automatons and point defenses are going to be our main worries.” He pulled a portable holoemitter from the utility slot on his armour and uploaded the data Magnus had given him. The emitter displayed the automatons’ details.

There was a variety of automatons. The first was the smaller humanoid assaulter. Schematics showed these units had light armour, relied upon numbers, and their main weapon was a high-energy plasma rifle. Gabriel moved next to the support automatons that carried energy shields and used nanomachines to effect combat repairs. Their armour was thicker than the assaulters, but they were slower. The third type was what Gabriel feared the most. Two dread colossi guarded the only door leading from the docking bay to the outpost.

“Captain, how the hell are we going to take something like that down?” Kain asked, sounding worried.

With a thought, Gabriel bought the colossi up on the emitter to focus on their details. Schematics showed the colossus armour was almost impenetrable, but there were weaknesses in the joints, at the neck, and in the heel actuators. Pointing at the heel, Gabriel smiled.

“We’ll disperse our units upon entry to avoid giving the enemy easy targets. Kain and Matthew, your teams will charge the colossi with my unit. We’ll use our energy blades to sever the main actuators in the heels.”

“That’s pretty brilliant, Father. Just like Achilles, we’ll bring these contraptions to the ground, where we can slaughter them with ease,” Matthew commended.

Kain nodded in agreement.

“These massive machines will collapse on themselves, allowing our forces to overwhelm their weak points. The key here is speed. We need to neutralize these two units before the main automaton forces can arrive. All forces not engaged in the attack will provide covering fire. Destroy any other automatons with extreme prejudice,” Gabriel ordered.

***

Weapon charges reported they were at full. Magnus could see the bay growing larger by the second. Activating his targeting systems, he began locking in the point defense weapons. The computers hummed in response to the command, calculating firing solutions.

“A’zyren, take Genji and Dhakan and assist Captain Soloman and his forces,” he ordered.

A’zyren and the crew stood up and marched out of the bridge.

Glaring out the viewport, Magnus watched the fast approaching shield and pulled back on the throttle. The Death’s Reaper began decelerating fast, and it had come to an almost complete stop when the ship flew through the force field. Before the sensors could even scan the ship, Magnus opened fire and activated his lateral thrusters. Energy weapons lanced towards the two largest turrets, causing them to explode in a blinding flash.

            Point defense turrets erupted in fire, but by firing thrusters, Magnus sent the ship strafing to the side too fast to be hit. The weapons fire missed and continued into space. Magnus continued firing his ship's weapons while dodging incoming fire. In moments, the defense turrets were nothing but smoking wrecks, but he could see the massive twin colossi awakening. He remembered that the thick armour of these machines resisted the Death’s Reaper’s laser cannons. Instead, he landed the ship, stood up, and hit the switch to lower the docking ramp. Pulling his trusty pistol from its holster, he strode to the docking bay of his ship.

            Gabriel led his troops down the ramp. He could see the mining ships carrying the rest of his troops beyond the energy shield.  The Death’s Reaper's shields had stopped the two energy blasts. He was thankful Captain Void was using his ship to protect him and his troops. Charging under the ship, he saw the massive legs of the two approaching colossi. He glanced back to see his troops dispersing and following his plan.

             Another series of energy blasts lit up the shields of the Death’s Reaper, and Gabriel charged across it. Behind him, Kain, Matthew, and the troops opened fire as they crossed the shield. Automatons poured out of holding bays into the main docking bay, returning fire. Plasma shots flew through the air. Troops poured through the shields and took hits but kept pressing the attack.

            Gabriel watched one of the massive colossi move his energy weapon, trying to track him, but he knew that with his speed, he could make it to his target. He wrapped both hands around his energy blade, bringing the blade back behind him. Charging forward, he pushed himself and his armour with all his might.

Glancing up at the colossus tracking him, he saw the flare of the barrel as it prepared to fire. Diving forward, he screamed with fury, channelling all his energy into a leaping s***h that tore through the colossus' open ankle joint and then tucked into a roll before striking the ground. The colossus fumbled, firing its cannon to miss. Behind him, the colossus’ plasma blast blew through the leg of its companion.

            Kain and Matthew watched the explosion and motioned for their troops to move. The falling colossus forced the two brothers to dive in different directions to avoid being crushed. Crashing to the ground, the colossus’ weight caused the entire deck to shudder and created a large dent. It tried to stand back up, but troops overwhelmed it. Kain and Matthew raced to the fallen machine, and with great leaps, bounded towards its massive head.

            Tumbling across the deck, Gabriel dug his energy blade in to try to stop. The energy blade cut through the hull, slowing him. Once he had stopped, he stood up and assessed the situation. His troops were already pouring onto the first colossus, and he had faith his sons would finish it off with the help of the troops. The other colossus had stopped targeting him to turn and fire at the troops. Troops flew into the air from the blast, and he watched an unfortunate soldier vanish in the plasma inferno. He glared at the last standing colossus and charged.

Reaching his target, Kain drove his sword into the machine's eye, causing it to spark with electricity. With all of his might, he pulled back on his sword. Matthew activated a grenade from his suit’s utility pouch. Catching it, he leaped towards the creature's head just as the machine's visual sensor exploded outward. He drove his sword into the metal above the opening and dangled from it, throwing the grenade into the opening. Seeing this caused Kain to leap towards his brother, and his force knocked Matthew and his sword loose. Behind them, the grenade detonated.

Hitting the ground, Kain held his brother close. They tumbled across the deck with sparks shooting from their armour when it struck the deck plating. Coming to a halt, the brothers looked at one another, then looked back to see the colossus twitching and collapsing. When the colossus’ head struck the ground, they erupted in celebratory cries.

Matthew got off his brother, turned, and pulled Kain to his feet. Matthew looked over his armour, but it was only scratched from the tumble.

“Guess it wasn’t a mistake to not get your armour painted first.” Kain laughed.

“Let kill this other one before we celebrate,” Matthew insisted.

Gabriel watched his troops engaging the automatons as they attempted to hold them at bay, but he kept his eyes focused on his target. In his peripheral vision, he caught his sons attacking the head of the machine, and he turned his attention on them for a second. Pride filled him when he saw his sons working together. He raced into the shadow cast by the legs of the colossus and slashed his energy blade across the first and then the second ankle joints. Sparks erupted  and the machine wobbled. Without stopping, he looked back to watch the machine fall. He saw the Death’s Reaper crew charging at it.

“Genji, you go for the head, and Dhakan and I will support you!” A’zyren yelled, throwing two cylinders in her hand at the automatons marching in line. From her back, she drew her rifle and opened fire into the automatons, drawing their attention. Two massive neon green explosions erupted, which sent automatons flying from the blast.

With a flick of the wrist, Dhakan threw a strip out in front of his compatriot. A large energy shield materialized in the path of the automatons’ fire. Propping himself up on his tail, he brought his large rapid-energy rifle just over the top of the shield. The barrels of the energy rifles began spinning, and, after a second, rapid energy blasts lanced forward in quick succession. His eyes wide with glee, he watched his rapid fire tear through the approaching automatons.

Ducking, weaving, and dodging, Genji charged the colossus with his energy blade. With a flick of the hilt switch, the blade began charging. Each second caused the blade to glow with increasing intensity. The hum of the energy projectors along the blade grew louder, causing the blade to shake in his grip. Dropping his center of gravity forced all of his momentum into his legs so he could leap straight up. He raised the sword high above his head and swung it through the air, releasing the stored-up energy. A crescent of pure energy roared from the sword and cut through the colossus’ head. The shield docking bay shield rippled when the mining ships entered the bay. In unison, the ships landed and lowered their docking ramps. The lords and ladies charged onto the battlefield with their troops. Automaton forces tried to adapt, but there were too many of them. Magnetic rifle fire filled the docking bay as the legions poured fire on the enemy,