Mira did not like the situation. It was one thing to be dealing with a much larger, much more heavily armed and armored ship. They were outgunned and outclassed by an actual warship. No, what really bothered her was what she expected as the reaction from the mutineers coming in on the shuttle. Despite all the power structures in place throughout the cosmos that brought equality, there were still too many men who would see three women as an easy target for their warped desires. She didn’t expect any morality from mutineers and wasn’t sure of how her companions would fare.
Mira knew Lya only from reputation. She knew the woman was a hunter and her reputation was of more than just competence, so she expected her to be able to fight. But this Aurelia woman was a mystery. She was wearing what, for all intents and purposes, was an ancient set of golden armor and was carrying a sword and shield. A freaking sword! Who’s going to let her get close enough to stab them without drawing at least a sidearm and punching a neat hole through the shield and whatever was behind it?
Reflecting on her own capabilities, she had to admit she wasn’t all that great a prospect in a straight fight either. Her Abilities were all geared towards flying the ship. She could outfly most anyone but that wouldn’t do them any good against a heavy cruiser that could fill local space with enough firepower to make any maneuvering irrelevant.
Lya briefly looked over the two other women and mentally shrugged. She was sure that most of the fighting, if it came to that, would be up to her. The pilot could probably use the sidearm at her hip at least somewhat competently but was not counting on much more than that. The golden knight standing next to her was a mystery, but she was kitted-out for a medieval battlefield, not a fight in a cargo hold. Seventeen was a bit more than she was prepared to handle. She could likely handle ten with some difficulty and surprise, but surprise was not going to be a thing in this fight if it came to a fight. She unconsciously fiddled with an energy disruption grenade, palming it as perhaps the only way to even the odds for them.
Aurelia tried desperately to suppress her grin. It looked like she was going to get the chance to fight again. Leadership is great and all, but being able to carve her way through enemies was something that just felt so enlivening. She was sure that her sisters-in-arms next to her would be useful, but she would not count on them. No, seventeen foes in a confined space? Oh, yes, she was built for this kind of fight. One FLASH CHARGE and the fight would be all but over. She wondered if she really had the space to summon her warhorse for the charge. It would be more potent, but the area might not be conducive to its use. She would have to wait and see. Her excitement continued to build.
Duke observed the shuttle approaching on the monitors and kept an eye on the ship with his DUNGEON SENSE. The shuttle looked armed and armored, reminding him of a marine assault craft. The more he thought of it, the more it made sense. I guess in space, there would be space marines. I wonder if the space-based military is considered a space force or a navy? Likely not an air force like home though. That’s kinda depressing, having to join the squids for any space action. Regardless, he kept a vigilant watch on both the approaching shuttle and the larger warship.
The shuttle finally approached the landing bay, and all four members of the Iron Reaver’s “crew” tensed. This was the moment they had been waiting for when things would either go easily or all hell would break loose. What they were hoping for differed significantly depending on the individual crew members. The shuttle entered the bay and landed smoothly which caused Mira to raise an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn’t expected that level of professionalism. Lya simply shifted her hand on her hip over her sidearm, making ready to draw it and fire if needed. Aurelia tensed with the starting of a smile crossing her features that seemed to contrast with the intense set of her eyes.
The shuttle was painted in the blue and white livery of the Landassian Navy but it was dirty as if it had been left out of the cleaning cycle. Mira took that as confirmation that this was no longer a Landassian Navy vessel. When the ramp lowered and the dozen of slovenly dressed “sailors” poured out, she was absolutely certain. She stepped forward.
“Welcome aboard the Iron Reaver. I am Mira Calder, Chief Pilot of the ship. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?”
A mountain of a man stepped forward, his uniform shirt sleeves cut off to allow his oversized arms freedom of movement. “I am Kalabash Onslo, Acting Captain of the Landassian Heavy Cruiser, Vengence. We have had a series of terrible accidents on the ship which has left us in need of assistance. Your Communications Officer mentioned that you had minerals for trade. We would be happy to take them off your hands so we can affect some much needed repairs. The Landassian Navy will, of course, reimburse you for the value.”
Duke opened a microscopic communications Portal behind each of the crew’s ears and related that his Abilities indicated that Onslo was lying through his teeth. It was completely unnecessary as all three had picked up on it as well. As far as lies went it was on the more convincing side but still didn’t pass muster.
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Mira answered. “What sorts of accidents? It looks like your shuttle is in disrepair and did your laundry facilities stop functioning?”
Onslo’s eyes hardened as the rest of the shuttle crew spread out around him. Meanwhile Duke was on the bridge attending to the communications console that was flashing at him.
“They’re jamming our comms. Looks like it’s going to be Plan B. Ready yourselves. Mira, shake your head if you need any assistance down there. Otherwise, prepare yourselves to take them out.”
Mira grinned, not shaking her head at all. The next series of events happened so fast that she barely registered what happened until it was over. She wasn’t sure what happened first or if these two events happened simultaneously. One of Onslo’s men drew his sidearm to aim at the trio and Aurelia leapt into the air to land on the back of an impressive horse wearing armor similar to hers.
Lya reached for her sidearm in response to the man drawing his but neither of them had the chance to fire as Aurelia flashed across the hold, slamming into the group with her horse. The impact shook the entire hold in a wave of destruction. The crowd of men and women were slammed out of her path. Three slammed into the overturned shuttle, slumping to the floor unmoving. Four more were flung into the far corner of the landing bay, slamming into the wall with enough force to dent the inner hull. Most of the rest were crushed into a mess of bloody pulp. There were a pair that were forcibly ejected out the shuttle bay, hitting with enough force to pass through the atmospheric screens. The only one who survived Aurelia’s FLASH CHARGE was Onslo himself, but he was sprawled out against the far wall, bleeding severely and unconscious.
Duke whistled as he saw what his girlfriend had done and set his jaw to do his part of the plan. He already had his targets mentally locked, his 1,025 points in Reason made it easy to keep track of all the bodies in question through his DUNGEON SENSE. The first group was the bridge crew as planned and they appeared on the planet without any clue of what was happening or where they were. They were all wearing shipsuits that immediately sealed up and protected them from the lack of atmosphere and the frigid temperatures on the planet. These shipsuits were Landassian Navy issue and would sustain them for at least twelve hours without issue. The engineering and fire control crews were next, following in less than a second. In all, it took nine seconds to evacuate the entire crew to the planet.
The very next thing Duke did was to go completely off-script. He sent his crew a quick message, “I’ll be right back.” and TELEPORTED closer to the planet. Then he engaged his LIGHT Ability to make himself shine like a falling star as he flew down to an area a hundred kilometers from the confused and panicked crowd that had crewed the ship.
He created a dungeon core, doing his best to direct what kind of core it would become. He had not tried this before and was kicking himself mentally for not at least trying this before. It took him a lot longer than normal, a full two minutes before the core was completed but he was reasonably certain it would work as intended.
When he was done, he noticed that the crowd had rearranged itself with the forty or so members that were armed taking the front positions. They seemed reluctant to do anything other than walk a bit closer to Duke.
Duke turned and planted the core behind him and turned back to see the crew stop in their tracks as the dungeon sprouted and grew. In short order, it was fully formed. The dungeon was a very basic-looking Inn variant with a sign that read “Emergency Shelter.” Duke gestured for the crew to follow and stepped inside.
The interior was definitely of the Inn variety but looked far more crude than any of Sam’s offspring. Duke shrugged and moved to the bar where an enormous bipedal rabbit stood holding a glass. “Um, hi there. I’m Harvey. Welcome to the Emergency Shelter.”
“Thanks Harvey. You’re about to have a bunch of patrons. I really don’t care what happens to them, but you are their only hope for survival. So, if they give you any issues, kick them out and don’t let them back in.”
“Sounds fun. Looks like they are coming in now.” Harvey looked away from Duke and greeted each group as they entered, welcoming them to the emergency shelter. They all looked baffled as their suits acknowledged the breathable atmosphere and disengaged. Duke waited for them all to come in, noticing how the Inn expanded to fit the increasing number of “guests.”
Duke announced loudly once they were all in, “Welcome to the Emergency Shelter. I am sure you are all wondering what happened. That’s rather simple to explain. I am taking your ship back. Mutiny is a terrible choice.” The roar of shouts, objections, and other noise was nearly overwhelming.
Duke arced LIGHNING along the entire ceiling with enough distance that it didn’t reach any of the people, but it certainly got their attention and their silence. “Thank you for shutting up now. The situation is simple. You are being left behind on this planet. No one is going to come looking for you and you have no long-range communications to reach out to anyone anyway. This shelter has everything you need to continue to live indefinitely. Anytime you want to leave, feel free to step outside. You will not be able to step back inside. Ever. Make the best of the situation you have put yourself in, or don’t. I really don’t care.”
The surge came quickly as the braver ones charged Duke. He simply TELEPORTED them outside. The surge stopped as quickly as it started. One spoke up. “Who are you and why are you doing this?”
Duke’s eyes rolled with the beginnings of his UMBRAL REAPER Ability as he spoke. “I am Duke and you threatened me and mine. You sent a shuttle to take our cargo from us. We gave you the chance to act honorably but you all threw that away. Now I leave you here. I could have left you completely helpless on the surface of the planet but I decided to show mercy and give you a chance to reflect on your life choices.”
“This is a prison! The Syndicate will never let this stand!” The shout came from somewhere in the back of the room.
“The door is open. Leave whenever you like.” Duke responded. After one final nod to Harvey, he TELEPORTED back to the Iron Reaver to check on everyone.