19:59, January 7th, 2135
“Fuck.”
Kayden barely got the word out of his mouth before the swarm of drones leapt off his armour and began firing into the crowd of Voidborn. Their energy weapons quickly overloaded the shields of the lead crab and snake monsters, leaving them open to fire from the dwarven guards. Thankfully for him Swann recovered from his shock at that point and began barking orders.
“Don’t just stand there! Shoot something!” He bellowed, quickly pulling his sidearm and firing indiscriminately at the crowd.
Screaming erupted from the scientists further away as the dwarven guards unloaded with their automatic weapons, tearing the front rank of Voidborn apart. Unfortunately for them the air shimmered again and yet more Voidborn monsters began to materialize – this time surrounding Kayden, Ali, and Swann. The slavering jaws of a quadrupedal spine monster appeared right in front of Swann, leaving Kayden less than a second to dart forward and grab them before twisting them with all his enhanced strength, tearing the creature’s head from its shoulders.
“What the hell is going on?” Swann shouted, firing several more rounds from his pistol into the crowd.
“Fight now! Talk later!” Kayden responded tersely as he deployed his nanobots protectively around them.
The electrified swarm of nanobots worked in tandem with the drones, ripping through the Voidborn nearest to them. Duos and trios of monsters fell as Kayden frantically fought, but it still wasn’t enough to keep up with the unending tide of Voidborn materializing in the lab. He distantly heard yet more dwarven guards approaching and firing into the crowd, but was far too focused on the task at hand to keep track of how they fared.
Ali? Kayden asked frantically as he formed the nanobots around his hand into a spear – one which he electrified and used to punch through a snake creature in one swift motion. How much longer?
[“Another minute. Perhaps two.”] She replied tersely.
I could use the adrenaline rush now.
[“Deploying.”]
Time slowed around him, buying him precious moments to think. He pulled his spear from the snake creature’s face with a grunt before whirling around and kicking a leaping quadrupedal monster in the face, separating its head from its body. As it fell in slow motion he caught sight of a firing line of crabs unloading their back-mounted cannons into the dwarven formation, blasting them aside. His eyes flicked across the battlefield to see the rest of the Voidborn’s plan – a fresh new horror had been unleashed on them and was scurrying into the breach created by the crabs.
The meter-tall creature’s body walked the line between reptilian and insectoid, with plates of brown chitinous armour covering its torso. It walked on 6 thick plated metallic legs, each of which ended in what looked like a hook. It lacked any sort of discernable neck, with the torso ending abruptly in a set of 4 glowing yellow eyes set above a jaw that wouldn’t have looked out-of-place on a crocodile. Long tendrils of saliva dripped from its mouth giving it a distinctly feral look.
Most disturbingly, there was what looked like a turtle’s shell attached directly to the creature’s back by thick strand of muscle and metal support struts, giving it at least another meter of height. The carapace looked to be made of the same brown chitin as the rest of the creature, but had dozens of green pulsating sacs set into the deep holes in the creatures shell. Kayden’s horror increased when one of the sacs burst in slow-motion, spewing forth several insect-like creatures that looked like cockroaches. They spread their gossamer wings before leaping into the air, spewing acidic bile at the dwarven defenders as they soared above the quickly-devolving battlefield.
Time around them sped up once more and Kayden was forced to refocus on a nearby crab which was currently retargeting him. He sprinted towards the creature before leaping on its back and plunging his spear directly downwards, sending a bolt of electricity through it to pierce its shields, impale its shell, and fry the monster’s insides. It hadn’t even finished convulsing as he hopped nimbly off into a growing crowd of quadrupedal creatures, slashing and spinning as he fired bursts of ravenous nanobots into the nearest monsters. While less effective than his coilgun, he knew that using his nanobots in this way would be far less of a drain on his energy reserves – a trade-off he was willing to make.
[“Done.”] Ali’s voice rang out in his mind as his drones carved through the shields of several snake creatures that were currently firing into the crowd Kayden was fighting, friendly fire be damned.
I could use some help. Kayden replied tersely as he saw a warning that his shields were nearly drained appear in the corner of his heads-up display.
A moment later, Kayden saw the heads of the snake creatures explode in quick succession. Tracing where the fire came from he saw that Ali was now standing and holding a rifle – presumably one recovered from the dead dwarven guardsman behind them. She continued to fire with one hand as she waded into the gore now spread across the black-tiled floor, grabbing Major Swann by the scruff of his neck and hauling him to safety as she did.
With some of the pressure taken off them, Kayden changed tactics. He charged directly into the squad of crab-creatures that were pinning down the dwarven defenders, using his drones to drain their shields as he neared. By the time they’d turned to react to this new threat he was already among them, dancing between their ponderous bodies while using his nanobots to stab, slash, and cut.
To their credit, the dwarves quickly took advantage of the respite and carefully began firing into the crowd of crabs. In less than a minute Kayden was all that remained standing, covered in the blood of his enemies and breathing heavily. Seeing that there were no other threats in the immediate area he offered a wave of thanks to the guards for their help before jogging towards Swann and Ali, recalling his nanobots and drones as he did.
“Major, I had no idea that would-” He started out, trying to explain.
“There’s no time for that shit!” The major replied, pointing behind Kayden frantically. “Some of them broke through!”
“Can we lock this area down?” Kayden asked.
“It’s too late for that.” Ali replied, cutting off Swann’s response. “They are already in the corridor leading out of the lab. It appears a large group of them are heading Eastward, with several other groups branching off in different directions.”
“How…” Swann said.
“She hacked you.” Kayden responded before shaking his head to interrupt his protests. “What’s East of here in the corridor?”
“Nothing.” Swann replied quickly.
“Okay good.” Kayden nodded.
“-The only thing that’s there is an engineering access tunnel for the one of the geothermal power stations.” Swann finished.
Kayden glanced at Ali. “If they got into the tunnels, could they disrupt geothermal power to the city?”
“In theory, yes.” She replied.
Turning to Swann he continued. “And if they disrupted power, what would be affected?”
“Well, we have backup power batteries or secondary generators for most systems.” He said. “The only things that would really be affected would be the commercial district and the planetary defenses.”
“Fuck.” Kayden said. “You’re about to have a bunch of Voidborn ships in orbit. Get any and all ships you can up there and delay them as long as you can. Signal the Broken Shackle too – they’ll help.”
“While you do what?” Major Swann asked.
“Kill some monsters.” He replied jogging in the direction of the Voidborn.
Ali quickly followed, strapping the pyramid to herself while picking up a discarded rifle as she did. When she caught up to him she handed him the rifle without breaking stride, her voice already ringing in his head.
[“When we exit the doors, turn to the left.”]
Kayden was grateful for the instructions, but they ended up being unneeded. As soon as they exited the lab they could see clear signs of battle in one direction – dead bodies of dwarves and Voidborn alike, destroyed vehicles and black charred walls, and fires still burning. They turned and sped down the tunnel, stopping almost a minute later when they reached a large sign marked ‘engineering access’.
You ready? Kayden asked, checking his weapon to make sure it was functional.
[“Of course.”] Ali replied, levelling her own gun.
As the two of them ventured into the dimly lit side tunnel, Kayden turned on his suit-mounted flashlight. The steel walls and floor of the tunnel behind them quickly gave way to the same glossy black tiles which covered the lab, casting distracting reflections everywhere. He cursed silently as he swept his rifle from left to right, trying to decide if any of the moving shadows hid Voidborn monsters.
Why the hell do the dwarves love this stuff so much?
[“It is made from a highly resilient carbon polymer which is exceptionally heat resistant. Given the tunnel’s proximity to lava, most other materials would melt.”]
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Ah. Yeah, that makes sense.
The pair of them continued down the darkened hallway until they heard the distant skittering of claws and the rhythmic thump of hooves. With a glance over at Ali, Kayden turned off his flashlight and slowed his pace, minimizing the sound while trusting in Ali's electronic sensors to keep him safe. When they reached a doorway they peered inside carefully, assessing the scene.
If the scene in the lab was gory, the one in the power station was downright grisly. Dwarven body parts were strewn across the floor alongside fallen Voidborn monsters. The turtle-monsters were huddled in one corner, pulling their bodies behind their thick metallic legs and chitinous shells as if to protect them. Cockroach-like creatures continued to spew forward from the pulsing sacs on their backs before landing on nearby surfaces, their wet wings fluttering as they rested. In the other far corner of the room the more familiar Voidborn troops were gathered beside an enormous cluster of cabling – one that was being steadily hacked away at by the claws and jaws of quadrupedal and snake monsters.
Suddenly, a squad of 4 dwarven guards appeared from one of the other entrances to the room. They were obviously prepared, unloading immediately with their rifles while one of them tossed several grenades. The Voidborn were caught off guard and slow to react, with several snake and quadrupedal creatures falling to the ground with lethal injuries.
Unfortunately for the dwarves, it wasn’t enough. As the Voidborn turned to face this new threat, a dozen crab creatures ambled forward and fired into the squad. Their heavy cannons were loaded with some sort of explosive rounds, tossing the heavily armoured dwarves off their feet as they landed. When they got up they were immediately attacked by hundreds of cockroaches, each of which spit gobs of corrosive bile. They tried to fire back at the cockroaches and the turtle-creatures, but the cockroaches were far too numerous and their rounds just pinged off the turtle creature’s thick armour.
The entire event was over in well under 10 seconds, proving the effectiveness of the Voidborn formation. Kayden gripped his rifle tighter as he watched the last dwarf fall but when he stepped forward to intervene Ali placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pulled him back into the darkness.
[“There are far too many of them to risk running in without a plan.”]
They killed those dwarves! Kayden replied mentally. We need to stop them!
[“Yes, and it is our job to make their sacrifice worthwhile.”]
Begrudgingly knowing she was right, Kayden took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. I’m open to suggestions.
She paused for a moment before nodding to the tunnel behind them. [“If we were to destroy a 2-meter section of the ceiling tiling in this tunnel it would fill up with lava in under a minute. Then we need only open the door and release the lava into the room.”]
Wouldn’t that destroy the equipment though?
[“The most essential equipment is the cabling, which is protected. The dwarves would have to repair the electronics in this room, but they would still have power for their orbital cannons.”] She paused for a moment before continuing. [“Addendum: Voidborn ships have been detected at the edge of the system. They are holding position for now, but must believe that the generator will fall soon.”]
We’d better get moving then. Kayden replied, backing up further into the darkness. How are we going to avoid getting burned though?
[“Use your swarm to create nanobots made of the tile material. Then use those nanobots to create a protective structure.”]
Oh. Kayden replied, nodding. Right. I should have thought of that one myself.
[“You are still getting used to creating nanobots using different substances. I have no doubt that you will master it soon.”]
With those words of encouragement, Ali pressed a button near the doorway to trigger the sliding doors closing. Only moments after they slid shut Kayden heard the light thumping of cockroaches hitting the door, obviously drawn by the sudden movement. They were followed closely by the collisions of heavier Voidborn creatures and the sounds of heavy weapons fire. Not wanting to test the strength of the door any more than he had to, he stepped closer to Ali before focusing on a far corner of the ceiling and deploying his nanobot swarm.
The microscopic robots raced forward, eating through the tiles and using the material to make more of themselves. The new nanobots then returned to the floor around them and began welding themselves together into a thin wall made of the same tiling material as the ceiling. The wall quickly grew thicker and taller, and by the time the nanobots in the ceiling broke through to the lava reservoir the wall had reached waist-height, running in a tight circle around the two of them and ending at the wall behind them so it encased the door control as well.
As the lava began to pour in Kayden urged his nanobots to pick up the pace, pulling Ali’s android body close to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. The movement was ostensibly to minimize the amount of space they’d need, but he didn’t miss the feelings of warmth and happiness leaking through their neural link. The wall finished just as the lava reached the peak and a small amount of the hot liquid dripped onto the floor beneath them, narrowly missing burning a hole through them.
Too close. Kayden thought, shaking his head.
[“I knew you could do it.”] Ali insisted before reaching back and elbowing the door control to open it.
Even through the newly created walls, Kayden heard the screeching of Voidborn creatures being melted. After a minute though the noises faded into nothing, leaving the two of them holding each other in the darkness. As the minutes ticked on though, he realized there was a slight flaw in their brilliant plan.
So…how do we know when we can leave? Ideally I’d like to prevent this thing from turning into a sarcophagus.
[“I have already alerted the Vulcan authorities.”] Ali replied. [“They are draining the tunnel now. We should be out in under 5 minutes.”]
As if to validate her prediction, 3 minutes later Kayden heard a fist thump on the wall he’d created. With a thought he deployed his nanobots and ordered them to form a hole large enough for them to slip through, creating more of themselves in the process. When he stepped out he saw several dwarves in shiny heat-reflecting armour spraying down the walls and floors with a foam-like substance.
“Well, that’s one way to do it.” Swann’s gruff voice came from behind an armoured mask nearby. “Though there’ll be no shortage of cleanup to do if we want to get this power station fully operational again.”
“Sorry about that.” Kayden said sheepishly as he stepped out. “Do you still have power though?”
“Yes. Our teams of guards are hunting through the city to kill any of the other groups of Voidborn. We’ll have to clear the city block-by-block, but…” He paused for a moment. “Well, it’d be a hell of a lot harder without this power on.”
“Major Swann, if I may.” Ali began. “You can power cycle the planetary defense cannons in under 90 seconds. It will make it appear as if they are offline momentarily. I would ask that you do so.”
“Why?” Swann questioned.
“The Voidborn ships at the edge of the system are still present. If they believe their mission to disable the cannons was successful, they’ll move within range of the guns.”
“You want to use my city as bait?” The major replied incredulously.
Kayden shook his head. “Major, this Voidborn fleet slipped through our blockade behind our lines. Every ship we can knock out now is a victory.”
His body stiffened for a moment before turning off the external speakers of his suit and barking orders into his radio. There was a long silence while Kayden looked between Ali and Swann, uncomfortable with not being in control of the situation. He busied himself for a moment with checking the straps holding the pyramid to Ali’s back before wishing he was back on the bridge of the Broken Shackle, watching what was going on in orbit.
[“The Voidborn have made an in-system jump.”] Ali said, reading his thoughts. [“They are in range of the orbital guns.”]
Is the power cycling complete? He asked.
In reply, the walls around them shook. Over the course of the next minute Kayden counted 14 salvos of cannon fire, the sounds of each one echoing through the tunnel. When it finally stopped Kayden looked at Swann, who was clearly deep in conversation over the radio.
Did it work? Kayden asked.
[“The Voidborn are retreating.”] Ali replied. [“Scanners are showing 8 destroyed Voidborn ships – 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers, and 4 frigates. An excellent result.”]
That was…anticlimactic. He replied.
Before Ali could offer any comment Swann turned his external speakers back on. “It’s done. Now I’d appreciate it if the two of you got the hell off my planet.” He paused before pointing to the pyramid. “And take that damn thing with you!”