In a bid for her own survival, Ardi planned to gouge a hole in Gudo’s face and reach into his skull so that she could grab and eat his E-Soul but a desperate cry halted both her and Gudo’s actions.
“Please, stop!” Tsuro pleaded again and it was here that Ardi realized that not only had Condor Unit retrieved their guns, but they had also subdued all of Gudo’s men, excluding Tsuro who probably realized that if she tried targeting the humans again she would be Ardi’s next target.
So Tsuro pleaded for a ceasefire, prompting a heavily panting Ardi and Gudo to glance at each other.
Gudo looked at Ardi’s right hand which was about to make short work of his skull and scoffed.
“I guess we can call this one a draw.” He begrudgingly let Ardi go but she didn’t drop her guard.
Instead, she scanned him again and saw that his energy signature was significantly lower than when they began fighting, sitting only at 243W. Not only that, it would take some time before his Nanite reserves replenished which meant it would be some time before he recovered the energy he’d lost.
Ardi then turned to Tsuro who, while smaller than Gudo, was still an Archon and was still a threat.
Tsuro must have noticed that Ardi was still in combat mode and so she assumed the position which was most natural for someone who was trying to prove that they had surrendered by prostrating herself.
“I don’t care what you choose to do to me just please… don’t kill my Captain!”
With her forehead and knees to the ground, she begged.
Ardi activated [Heal] and turned her unmoved gaze to Gudo who looked conflicted.
It looked like he wanted to keep fighting but, after sensing Ardi’s Dermis as it regained its uniform integrity, he let out a deep sigh.
“Alright. You win.”
Ardi finally eased her murderous intent and stepped away from Gudo, who managed to remain standing although he was resting his weight on one leg.
“My ship, my crew, my life is yours. Although I must warn you that my previous boss doesn’t handle loss very well.” Gudo warned as Tsuro got back onto her feet which automatically made Ardi go on alert.
She was slowly regaining her energy as her Nanites absorbed the heat she’d generated.
She activated [Speed Boost] and [Reactive Armour] again and while this meant she had less total energy, at least she’d be prepared if anyone tried anything tricky.
“And who is this Boss of yours?” Ardi asked a cross-armed Gudo.
“I’m surprised you don’t know. Although I suppose he doesn’t have a clearly definable territory but that’s a problem with the whole lot of em. Anyway, his name is Zenith the Collector.”
Ardi heard the faintest gasp from someone behind her.
Her database also didn’t include any knowledge of a Zenith and it's here that she accepted that she didn’t have some all-knowing part of herself.
She only currently knew the broad strokes of history and while within those strokes were trillions of finer details, they didn’t cover everything.
“Tell me more about him and when he came into power. Also, is he a part of the Dead Stars faction or is he operating independently?” Ardi asked.
“He is a Dead Star and while his fleet was only completed around five years ago although he was in charge of several cargo fleets before he decided to pursue his true passion. The Boss prides himself on having one of almost everything in the galaxy and now he has his sights on you.” Tsuro explained as Gudo’s skin sizzled and cracked. The work of his Nanites.
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Zenith's Fleet of Collectors
123344 [https://i.postimg.cc/GmfxDb3B/PSX-20240903-230452.jpg]
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“Mmm… before you continue, where does he rank among the Dead Stars?”
“There’s no official ranking and, as the captain alluded to, territories are very loosely defined but, at least colloquially, there is a hierarchy. At the top is the Dark King, a madman who almost threw himself into a black hole. Second is the Red Swarm Lord, an Archon who decided a single body would be too limiting and so he exerts his influence via a swarm of enhanced Nanites. Third is Ropa the Dread Monger, he technically has the largest amount of influence over the Dead Stars since the Dark King is inactive for the most part. Ropa is also the chief in command of the forces that are at war with the Coalition. Ropa would be in second place if it wasn’t for how scary the Swarm Lord is. Fourth is our Boss or previous boss and your group already dealt with Epsilon who, along with everyone mentioned, was part of this unofficial group known as the Five Teeth of the Devourer.”
“I see. Let’s get back to Zenith. Compared to the other Teeth, how much influence does he have?” Ardi asked.
“It wouldn’t be too wrong of an estimate to say that, of the quarter of the territory in the Milky Way which the Dead Stars control, our old boss controls about a fifth of that. It’s hard to quantify in exact units but the fleet operates across 15 million worlds which are governed somewhat independently by the 200 Archons under his command. The Captain and I included.” Tsuro elaborated.
“So each of you governs 75,000 worlds?” Ardi raised a brow.
“That is our primary function, ya know! Even as I was valiantly fighting you, I was allocating resources, delegating tasks and so much more! Some things require hands-on interactions but the boss told me to drop everything I was doing to come fetch you.” Gudo said and he sounded quite proud of himself.
Ardi nodded.
“And where is Zenith located?”
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“On his home world, Plinth. It’s about 200 light years away, although it has since been converted into a gigantic storage unit.” Tsuro detailed.
“I see-“
“Umm… may I ask a question?” Meredith stepped forward prompting Tsuro to glance at Ardi who simply nodded.
“Sure. What’s on your mind?”
“Isn’t the Collector monitoring your actions and isn’t he likely to be aware that you’re telling us all this?”
“Yes. He already knows that we’ve been defeated and are giving away information and I don’t think I can express just how surprised I am that we’re not dead already. He must really want you.”
“Yeah! Normally he’d just bombard anyone He thought be annoying with those scary planet-side Canons that he installed almost everywhere but… we’re still alive!” Gudo let out a laugh that was laden with fear.
“So what do you think he’s planning?” Ardi asked.
“Can’t say. Unlike Epsilon, he’s not the type who likes to get his hands dirty so he’s probably gonna send a sizeable chunk of the fleet to corner us and force you to give yourself up. He also knows that I’m saying all this but I don’t think that’ll change anything. He’s got access to all the sensors and scanners on this ship and has probably already gauged your capabilities. He could go for the risky option of holding your little crew hostage but judging by our little squabble, that wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“So what should we do?” Meredith turned to Ardi.
“Let the hounds come to us.”
“Oh-ho? I have a feeling things are about to get really interesting!”
If Gudo had a mouth, he would be grinning.
“What’s the plan, ma’am?” Meredith asked making Ardi chuckle a little internally at the word “ma’am”.
She was technically a new-born and the youngest person present but she chose not to dwell on that for too long.
“Firstly, as Tsuro pointed out, there is a possibility you’ll be used against me when the fighting begins so I’ll need you to follow her and Gudo somewhere safe.” Ardi instructed while simultaneously trying to see if there was a way she could guarantee the cooperation of the Archons when things got tough.
She wondered if she could design her own skills.
She wondered if she could implant her Nanites into the E-Souls of Archons she was targeting.
She knew that the Nanites of the host would target hers and so wondered if they could mimic the signals of the other Nanites to remain undetected.
Her ultimate goal was to have a weapon against anyone who was playing the long game.
So she drafted up the skill.
[6. Extra Skills
- Skill: [Failsafe Nanites]
Description: Sends out a small group of Nanites that embed themselves on or near a target's vital components.
Effect: Activating this Skill prompts Nanites inside the host to spontaneously explode while sending an override signal that prompts adjacent Nanites to explode in a chain reaction.
Energy Cost: 5J
Required Level: 1
Required ES (E-Souls): 1]
Ardi was a bit disappointed that a Skill she came up with Required an Upgrade Point but there was no use fretting over it.
Plenty of food would be coming her way shortly and, unless she died an untimely death, she was going to be very full.
She returned her focus to the present to find that they wore various, concerned expressions.
“If… if that’s what you say we should do, then we’ll do it.” Meredith nodded.
“And what will you do?” Gudo asked as Ardi walked towards the landing bay’s furthest wall which she rested her back as she stood.
“I will welcome our guests. Now go.”
.
..
Even as an Archon, Tsotsi found bounties that involved killing another Archon very difficult.
Not only did one have to factor in that their target was anticipating a large number of their hunter’s possible moves, but the target was probably also factoring in the fact that their hunter was factoring in the fact that they knew.
This made hunting Archons, weak and strong, very tedious.
Either they would run away to the ends of the galaxy in convoluted ways or fight back after having gathered enough information.
It didn't matter in the end since he would always kill his target but not before losing resources and some of his men.
The name “Gilded Suns” had been chosen on a whim but the fact that they had killed three Archons turned their gaudy title into a legitimized name, something emphasized by the three stars in the emblem.
That said, Tsotsi wasn’t a cannibal.
He couldn’t risk having any possibly detrimental code swimming in his head so he abstained.
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Logo of the Gilded Suns Company
776uu7 [https://i.postimg.cc/D0fXDNyk/PSX-20240904-205346.jpg]
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[Sir, we’re approaching the target. Should we wait until shit gets quiet or join the boarding vessel?] A raspy-voiced transmission blared into Tsotsi’s otherwise calm head prompting him to think about the target he and ten others had been given.
[Name: Ardi
Type: Archon
Threat Level: S
Energy Signal: Inferno (800J approx.)
Height: 1.8 meters
Weight: 180 kg
Composition: (as observed) Unknown brain-like organ, carbon composite skeleton, aetherium core, self-energized nanite fluid reserves, advanced sensors, advanced actuators, and an advanced protective outer layer.
Abilities: (as observed) Greatly enhanced strength, speed, durability, moderate regenerative abilities and information processing.
Weaknesses: Aetherium Core, Unknown brain-like organ,
Affiliation: Unknown]
Something wasn’t right.
The Boss had sent way too much firepower for just one Archon.
Then there was the fact that it had an unknown extra component but also didn’t have an E-Soul.
The scenario was way too fishy and so Tsotsi leaned back in his chair on the bridge of his flagship, The Quiet Moon.
It was a large ship, about as long as a football field and two storeys tall.
The bridge was a relatively small space filled with consoles and monitors which were manned by a handful of humans.
The Quiet Moon was shaped somewhat like a dart and, like the nine other ships, it encircled the ship or target was in.
Tsotsi still couldn’t believe that Captain Gudo had been defeated but he couldn’t deny the reality before him.
And so, after considering as much as he could, he decided.
“Let’s wait and see how it goes.”
“Yes, sir!”
.
..
Tsotsi watched as the small ship, within which was a kill team of five Archons and twenty augmented humans.
The little box-shaped vessel successfully landed in the open bay where, as could be seen from video footage, target Ardi awaited.
The kill team disembarked from their vessel and pointed their various weapons at Ardi.
Tsotsi chose to focus on the footage which was being transmitted by one of the Archons.
She, much like Tsotsi and her accompanying Archons, wore a form-fitting suit which enhanced her already heightened ability although her speed was somewhat reduced by the large plates of armour.
The humans under her command wielded all kinds of weapons ranging from Plasma weapons to experimental magnetic railguns.
As for Ardi, she stood upright and let out a single, steamy breath.
What followed was what Tsotsi could only describe as a bloodbath as the walls of the landing bay were plastered with the flesh of men and the parts of any Archons Ardi had set her sights on. The only Archon parts that weren’t destroyed in the Maelstrom of violence were their E-Souls which she ate in a single bite.
And, to add to Tsotsi’s rapidly growing dread, Ardi turned to one of the sensors that was recording her and it felt as though she was staring right at him.
“Fuck that, we’re blowing that whole ship up!”