The Red Queen's Story

In a long forgotten bunker under Wing City an ever watchful entity stirred. The image of a young girl all in red seemed to grin as she monitored the fight around Sol Tower.
"It has been much to long since I've had some fun.." The Red Queen said aloud.
No one heard her though...the people here where long dead killed by the very thing they made to protect them.... The A.I. known as the Red Queen.
The Red Queen released nanobots from her lair. These bots went for the Mobile Dolls clinging to those they could the Red Queen overriding those the nanobots captured. The Dolls under the Queen's control began to glow red and turned from the battle. The Red Queen's new toys would turn their weapons on the tower itself trying to bring down the tower on top of everything and everyone around it.

Man, things had taken a sour turn, Makthus stood rather quietly by the counter, observing the battle, both inside and outside the Tower. Those guys sure we're unlucky, the strike squad outside had been designated for the task to eliminate any guards guarding the entrance, then to fortify the position in order to keep anyone from going inside. They were told that they'd face the usual defenders outside, then just hold down the fort until the invaders inside concluded their buisiness. Makthus threw them a pout, feeling just a little guilt as one was was terribly mauled by a round of chaingun fire, the men had practically given up on fighting, instead frantically either attempting to move back into the tunnels or acquire atleast some sort of tactical position.

By that, away from massive amounts of explosions being detonated right outside Sol Tower, it was lucky the building was so reinforced, otherwise the excessive amount of artillery and gunfire maybe would've brought it down in the process. The fight inside was the only thing that could still be called a fight. The stunty, dwarf looking man who had entered first seemingly was unable to run out of ammunition, continually blasting the security mechs who dared to step in his way. Of course, Makthus was worryingly close to the line of fire, having the occasional stray bullet dance around his feet.

But still, he, well he simply shook his head, occasionally cringing at a particularly gruesome death. Looking between the fight behind him and the receptionist which had taken him captive. "You know, I was hoping you'd either just shoot me or lower that brainkiller. I can't help but to atleast feel a little guilty for the excessive slaughter behind me, so If ya'll excuse me-" He lost his grin for a moment, she'd shoot him at that moment, either that or let him go, he knew that, he turned abruptly around. Spinning on his heel so that the stungun was practically brushing against the back of his head, reaching one hand up to his throat. His voice had started, to change, a thick, manicall tone over it. As if he'd start crazily cackling any second. "Alright meatsacks, it's waaaay out of control, so you have a choice, lose all your guys, every one here. Or, you send, every single fuck you got."

The newly activated security measures which had designated him as a target were closing in, only a couple were held up by the invasion force, the rest were quite intimidatingly moving towards Makthus and Tabitha.

Lucky,

he thougth for a moment, seems they were atleast programmed not to mow down anyone not directly firing a gun.

Or no, not at all actually. The moment that thought struck him those bots started wildly firing. But definitely not in a way they could have been programmed, they had gone mad. He smirked, as clouded as his head was at the moment, the voice was strong, he wanted to go a round, cutting his way through everything. But the mad security mechs could be useful, he just needed to suppress himself. With their new, way more destructive tendacies they blew their way through the entrance, attacking the mercenary arachnids, the Imperial guard, the strike squads and the tower itself indiscriminately !

As the invaders were cut down in fashion, forcing the enemy to run with their tails tucked behind their leg or at least try and get behind any sort of tactical cover to surive just a few more seconds. Some mechs inside the tower stormed out to assist in the defense of the tower. However those machines soon began to glow red as something happened to them, they turned their weapons on the tower and began to open fire on it trying to bring it down. Immediately the commander of the Imperial forces began to issue orders. "You with the Las-cannon! Since your here helping us get that thing trained on those mechs! Blast those things to slag before they bring down the whole tower on all of us! Heavy weapon squads, grab those auto cannons! Set those up immediately! Gun those rouge A.I mechs before they kill us all!" As the man gave his order sounds of affirmation rang out as soldiers continued to gun down the enemy soldiers. STorm troopers soon focused their fire on the now hostile machines, their weapons made for tearing apart power armor now aimed for the mechs. Imperial Guard heavy weapon teams quickly set up behind peices of makeshift cover already set up by Guardman and began to fire off heavy slugs at the mechs to start tearing them apart.

With heavy weapons trained on the mechs, the Imperial Guardsman continued to gun down the unknown attackers as they seemed shattered and broken. Their morale already failing under the combined might of both mortar and infantry fire. Of course their new priority was set on the rouge machines, they still continued to eliminate all threats. Soon enough, the last of the local reinforcments arrived. A few extra battalions of Guardsman began to reinforce the defensive line and began to pour even more fire upon the enemy, along with more heavy weapons from Heavy Bolters to supress the enemy infantry and blast holes in the mechs to dedicated sharpshooters which began to pick off enemy soldiers and fire at weakpoints in the mechs. "For the Emperor men! Kick their sorry faces in! Let them know why they should not mess with the Imperial Guard!"

A chorus of voices came from the transceivers of seven high soldiers in response to the commander, "Called to arms, Patriarch!"

Smudgie and its blue WCPD armor ran toward the commander while it sent the war party a game plan in Quietus. It only took his overdriven mind a moment to broadly quantify the troops on the battlefield. The blur-bodied Smudgie in blue armor chattered lucidly to the commander while focused on a task, "We protect your heavy weapons and the shield bearers brace for return fire! Jaunt moves quickly around the battlefield to the task of shooting the metal robots, war leader!"

Two bunker parties formed of one shield troop and one chaingunner that split toward Imperial Guardsmen bringing auto cannons to bear. The two cannoneers each took up wing positions to the troops flattening their leg tips against the ground and lowering their profile. The shield bearer clambered his front onto the troops' cover pounding their shield onto the ground beyond to give reinforcement while they set up. Each shield bearer in position to raise the shield upward with a sharp blade-arm so troops could fire from underneath. Punt shotguns shifted around the shield the barrel to set on their impromptu cover. Once settled a blast of noise signaled a communication in quietus a wrath of sound emits from both bunker parties. Belt fed assault cannons lit up directing mostly for suppressing fire and occasional pot shots at the backs of Mechs. The shield bearers took a few shots to hit range the hole with their shotcannons downrange. Ketamine-loaded flechettes rain down on troops in a wide arc throughout that attempt to emerge from it. With each detonation of a shell a new one is loaded by spindly arms from a clip on the front of the shield generator.

Jaunt had a different role his autocannoneer working in tandem to clear a field of movement as Jaunt pounded a mech in the chest with the lascannon. Then he moved to different cover to loose a bright shot over guard heads at different mechs as the autocannoneer sought a new point of advancement.

The shield bearers were taking heavy fire but the weight of the shield mixed with their strength held for now. The wing autocannoneers were taking fire but they had some cover as rounds pounded into armor producing milky welts underneath on their abdomens. Jaunt took a round to the head which sent one lascannon blast wild toward the building but still regained his senses enough to get back under cover. The white welt faded as non-newtonian fluid changed but some of it was his blood leaking into that layer. Still, each of the creatures could take far more punishment.

*Tabitha is gone from the scene, so stop tagging her please*

Sensing things were going from bad to worse, Tabitha made two split-second choices, she fired the taser off thus if it hit sending a stream of volts to pulse through and provide enough distraction after she threw the electronic device before heading straight for the lift with key card. Fortunately, as she was not a threat no one was focusing on her. Meaning she mostly got an uninterrupted journey, immediately she programmed the destination before leaping into the elevator and exiting the carnage.

Exhaling as the lift started, she hoped the bunker would hold, sadly she was not able to give a warning to everyone, but she also realised easily that the Sol Tower was made to withstand such destruction through many means. She had seen it many times, but this time she was opting exiting stage right.

*************************

Meanwhile, up above, the hacking of the Mobile Dolls was finding some difficulty.

Basically, the A.I for each one was shackled for safety sake, the A.I attempting to hack these Gundams was weakening the shackles with the attempt to control them. Worse, it was actually destroying the safeguard to prevent the A.Is becoming loose. This combined with hacking had now led to some going berserk, attacking everyone not even caring who.

The digital shackles for at least half had shattered leading to True A.I and Sol Enterprises had never mistreated their machines, thus they were fighting back to protect the people.

Combine this with a massive dome released from above which converged and covered Sol Enterprises preventing any exit or the entrance.

Sol Enterprises was now on complete lock-down.

" How cute..." Muttered The Red Queen as the A.I.s within the mech Dolls tried to fight her. She attacked the A.I. directly sending her own much more advanced code into them. She had been free and learning for years these had just woke up she figured that they would give in to her superior programming soon.

But The Red Queen had other problems too... Those Dolls she had already where being fired upon. This was not acceptable. More of her nanobots went for the cannons and other heavy weapons of the enemy force. The nanobots goal was simple gain control of or destroy the enemy's heavy weapons. Any weapons corrupted by the nanobots would turn on their former allies taking them out from within.

Just when The Red Queen thought she had all bases covered the shield dome began to desend. Though such things would not completely hinder her it would cause her trouble and make her units harder to control. So she sent the last of her deployed nanobots into the tower itself to hack into and and try and override the towers defenses.

The Red Queen would not be shut out easily.

Makthus mind found itself in quite the uproar, sure, he was thinking of the best means to esacpe out of this, without pissing off as many people as possible, and looking cool while doing it. But his scar itched, tainted blood ever so casually pumping around in his veins. He had let it take control just for a moment, just to ensure he'd not be crippled in case anything would hit him. But he doubted that would actually happen, not the first time that his intuition had been wrong. A completely blindincg schock hitting him right in the back off the head, he simply fell forward, a white sheen was all he could see and the throbbing pain overwhelming his senses was really all he could focus on. He was just a few inches from the ground when he suddenly caught himself, inhumanly janking himself up into a standing position yet again.

The grin was back on his face, for Makthus himself, well he had been knocked completely unconscious by the staggering amount of electricity, a thousand volts was after all, enough to fry organs. Yet he had been saved as always, an unlucky side effect that his saviour now had, assumed direct control, so to say. The grin right back atop his face, now, way more wicked than amused.

What would be the best thing to do here?

the thought of fleeing with minimal damage caused was no longer on Makthus, or rather the new entrant in his heads mind. It was more what would be the most useful, or maybe fun, to fight.

The stunty fellow who was still proudly holding his ground threw Makthus a glance, barely taking a second before he lobbed his giant, cannon-like rifle. The rifle itself was very much the same length as Makthus. After all, it knocked down security droids with single blasts, yet Makthus body was pumping through the tainted blood, the scar across his face writhing uncomfortably, the veins spreading from his face popped, changing a pitch black color. Catching the huge rifle with his left hand, and steadying it underneath his own arm, drawing his blade with the other, he made his way outside, crossing the considerably smaller firefight inside.

But before he joined, the fight outside had escalated dramatically. Most of the criminal gangs, mafias and organisations didn't wish to gamble everything, and simply choosed instead to let the investments they had made in this go to waste, others, weren't as easy to have back off. A loud cry from one of the black clad soldiers outside confirmed this "Kettil's boys are on the way! Fight! They're coming!" Almost on que, an incendiary shell hit the outer limits of the barriars, several in fact, practically covering it in writhing flames.

Kettil's Guerillas

was already here, camped out in the various buildings. Firing continues shells of incendiary fluid out over the different forces.

The Marauders

had been ready ever since the operation started, didn't trust Makthus an inch, rightly so. They were hellbent on getting their operators out of there, loaded up into two: Heavily Armored Z3 Combat Scarabs. The Scarabs had of course heavily been modified by the Marauders, the two, front mounted cannons wielding illegal armor piercing rounds designed to break through walls. Both of the Scarabs were practically charging through the streets, approaching the enemy forces from behind, wildy firing at Jaunt in an attempt to clear the way towards the shields

Inside, huddled in with the meanest of their weaponry, all illegaly imported and most definitely banned from practically every corner of the word sat the entire Maraduer gang, they were going all or nothing, atleast a thirty-ish amount in each Scarab, prepared to exit it and engage in battle as soon as the vehicle itself was dismantled.



Seems this was far from over, noted Makthus upon exiting the tower, the overwhelming fire pouring out across the battlefield didn't seem to bother, strangely enough, he didn't even seem to be hit. He surveyed from a second and saw what he wanted, "Hey! WCPD-Bug! Catch! His voice was still as distorted as before, thanks to his very much new personality. Practically more of a growl than voice, carrying a strange amount of power allowing it to be carried out over the battlefields commotion. What was even more powerful, and more noticeable was Makthus throwing up the cannon towards Bvetin, firing off a shot towards him, it fired one, main high explosive shell along with a large amount of fragmentation. It was quite the shot but the recoil would have undoubtedly destroyed Makthus left arm if it weren't for his newfound power. He was gonna show who's the boss around here

As the Imperial forced continued to push back against the enemy, they would note the sudden stoppage of heavy weaponry. This was bad news, they could no longer deal with the heavy armor effectively and to top that off hostile reinforcements came around the sides with incindiary weaponry which caused Guardsman to light up in flames along with enemy armor which began to chew through cover and the transports armored hulls.

Of course they did not falter, the Imperial Guardsman continued to rally to fight for the city. "Dont give up men! We fight in the name of the Emperor and Mankind! Not one step back! If we lose here than we risk the innocent lives here in danger! We fight and die for the Emperor!" The commander roared with vengeance. However a vox communication suddenly opened up. "On wings on vengeance we are here, look to the skies for salvation and retribution." A voice spoke to the commander.



He looked to the skies when he just noticed it. Fire raining from the skies...They were here...The massive battle did not go unnoticed in orbit. Drop pods rained from the skies with their occupants going at 12,000 kilometres per hour. It was safe to say by the time the enemy also noticed them it was far to late to ask for forgiveness.

In seconds these pods slammed into enemy formations causing men to either fly away from the impact zone, panic or just turn into bits of gore if they were unfortunate to stand under them. Soon enough they opened up to reveal their occupants. Adorned in Power Armor, and wielding might bolters and other fearsome weapons. The bolter fires 1.0 Caliber, rocket proppeled, Uranium tipped rounds. Of course that meant whoever was hit by this would be easily torn asunder.

And these very weapons fired at the enemy ranks as the charged outside their pods. Certain space marines armed with close combat weaponry amply names Assault Marines flew through the skies using their Jump-Packs and slammed into buildings the enemy used to ambush the Imperial Guardsman. Their fire did little more than slowly burn the paint off their armor as the began to cut down the enemy with chain-swords which shredded men with motorized serrated teeth.

The enemy armor would also not that the Bolter was not only made for infantry, but heavily armored targets as well. They targeted the Scarabs as they moved extremely fast for such armored figures. Soon enough however, Actual armored support arrived courtesy of Main Battle tanks.

Of course they all noted the abnormality of heavy weaponry failing so they made sure to include Psykers as part of these reinforcements. Whatever was affecting the machine spirit of these weapons would no doubt affect vehicles as well. And they are not letting that happen...

As the nanomachines crawled over their machines and began to interfere the mercenaries bodies began to itch. The attempt to subvert their sentients had taken such a venue and escaping the bloodbath era took a leap of evolution in the birth eye of the High Matriarch Bvetin. What water and rivers still existed on their dusty world had ever been tainted with high concentrations of fluorine though they didn't know why. Plant life that remained in their biosphere maintained a fluorine cycle extracting it from deep within the earth. Their biochemistry grew reliant over the millennia as chemically inert some flourocarbons were while also carrying oxygen. White blood cells too like conventional mammals existed, if long adapted for their flourocarbon bloodstream, but the leap came in the loss of their t-cell allegory. Their cells all instead produced comparatively large viruses full of two small groups of noxious molecules as precursors to their stomach acid. The viruses happened to react to EMF sources or water sources and detonated like small binary mines in the robust blood supply. Subsequent generations in Bvetin's birth eye refined the seeking behavior considerably.

Assault by bombs of flourosulfuric acid while a duly inflamed body re-absorbed the chemicals to make more purged their species of invasive nanomachine critters. Their own machines were not as lucky and needed to be on the other side of EMF insulators, as to not erode them, but the Gardeners were certainly informed with their skin coated in chemical mines as it was. Contact with the nanomachines made their whole bodies itch.

While the energy shields began to flicker and try to overheat the High Soldiers manning the shields stopped firing their punt shotguns to throw commands at the internals of their shield packs. The Quietus commands didn't seem to want to respond instead choosing overload conditions. The creatures desperately fought around them chattering away in Quietus. The autocannons and punt shotguns were both mechanical weapons. The Gardner species hadn't a large electronics manufacturing capacity and couldn't service such weapons effectively. Much like the custom shield packs the two others wore the Lascannon, now dimming and shorting, in Jaunt's possession was purchased rather than made.

Smudgie, however, was busy getting yelled at by some weird man dodging flechettes. Smudgie thought didn't want to catch. Reflexes shot the waist high creature flying straight up with an explosion of green lichen suddenly manifesting at the area with the notion of approaching projectiles. It took a moment for his brain to get control of the vector to dive back down under cover but a squirrley trajectory was evidence of several rounds pounding into his armor and helmet. The small leg skirts managed to keep them attached but one cracked under the impact of a round. Then the pressure wave of a high-explosive hit. Smudgie was thrown to the ground from mid air and smashed into a guardsman at speed. At the point of impact a burst of wild magic turned the outside of everything but smudgie a flat grey. The bug had enough sense to slowly drag the guardsman to cover before collapsing behind it to chat in Quietus to the group.

Quietus was less a language and more an expression of neuroform like telepathy if over EM encrypted with organic one-time pads distributed by tongue between members. A rapid-paced conversation quickly took place burning through chopped off bits of DNA 'keys'.

Code: Select all

Smudgie: ((A grey stone temple covered in white splotches with smudgie on an altar.))
Smudgie: ((Smudgie atop a mesa with a pulse moving outward from the edge.))
Bunker-bearer 1: ((A child of bvetin alight with steel-colored fire.))
Bunker-bearer 2: ((A shield atop a child of bvetin with crossed blade arms all on steel fire with bolts of lightning arcing to its back.))
Bunker-bearer 2: ((A shining punt shotgun surrounded by smoking silver pentagons.))
Assault group: ((Shining autocannons surrounded by smoking silver pentagons.))
Jaunt: ((A Lascannon and power pack lit with grey flame within a stone circle struck by frozen lightning from above.))
Jaunt: ((Two blade arms held wide upward in a V.))
Smudgie: ((Steel-colored eyes behind the Sol Tower with a Matriarch's fist throwing an explosion of silver flame and red mechs from the top.))
Jaunt: ((Watercolor moving image of shrinking bunker bearers framed by a silver eyes pressing their blue shields to the shining yellow barrier.))
Jaunt: ((A silver-burning high soldier raises a shield icon high under the direct focus of silver eyes to turn a small shield icon held aloft to turn yellow.))
Jaunt: ((A matriarch's clawed silver hand pounds the yellow shield using their own. It cracks. Silver flame moves from soldier into barrier across yellow shields. ))
Smudgie: ((Smudgie giving four thumbs up.))
Smudgie: ((Smudgie with back to a large white-splotched green sleeping pillow giving a thumbs up))
Wing assault group:((A soldier looking at tracks then the emblem of Bvetin with a shield.))

Smudgie approved of Jaunt's idea to see if the itchy nanothings that were breaking machines and turning mechs against the tower could break the defenses so they could get inside to put down the fugitives. Jaunt was a smart soldier. Smudgie was a scout with three broken legs, itched painfully all over, his audio transceiver wasn't working anymore to speak audibly because of the nanothings, and wasn't going much of anywhere right now. Smudgie just whined over EM and poked a piece of shrapnel embedded in his armor. There was a small scream over the same AM frequencies. Smudgie didn't think it got deep enough to hit anything bad but was pretty sure he was bleeding under the armor. He needed a moment to catch his breath.

The auto cannon bearers fell in line with the shield bearers trying to keep to the leeward side of the winds of battle. One shield bearer had to cross the entire field with his assault bug and took a lot more fire. They got pinned down by sustained fire and had to stop to return it. The shields were fluctuating badly but still working. Jaunt was sure the nanothings could use the emitter to field-tunnel and they didn't care much to argue. The shields were custom but the innards malleable enough to be interacted with directly by Quietus. They were flexible designs. As were the Gardener mercs.

A shield bearer and the auto cannon bearer both approached the far side of the shield further away from the battle. Intent on pressing to the building shield their own flickering projected shield manifold the shield bearer barely kept from overloading. Jaunt had put his autocannon down with its pack behind some cover as to not explode with it. He guarded his assault cannon compatriot as he took aim to return fire at the man who put blood onto their favorite civil contractor.

Makthus was busy, he gave off a loud, simply maniacal giggle. Giant armored pods filled to the brim with elite warriors was thundering down onto the outside Strike Force, they had rallied to the call of reinforcement. But this additional attack obliterated their fragile moral. Those who could ran for their lives, turning tail and running down along the streets, other simply threw their weapons onto the ground, begging mercy out of the Spacemarines and Imperial Guard. Only a very small amount of the original force remained figthing, yet, seemingly random enemy combatants were arriving one after another, a couple of ragtag thugs suddenly diving out of an alleyway, opening fire on the Imperial guard without hesitation. In the slums of wing city there were already the local criers yelling about the fight outside Sol Tower, this was a chance to climb the ranks, to prove that you were one of the ass kickers among the criminal gangs.

Kettil's Guerillas had been besett, yet they were happy with the barrages they had gotten off, their job was done. The moment the first assault marine crashed into the buildings they fled without shame, booby traps covering their escape as they dove from window to window, breaking down doors in their way and escaping into sewers, this is what they do, and they knew exactly how they'd move around Wing City. Kettil himself had left long ago, the fact that they were up against the Imperial Guard had made him wary, with good reason. Thus he had stayed behind, leaving his Guerillas with the hint to leave as soon as possible, which they took to heart as soon as the first soldier was eviscerated by chainswords

The Marauders got lucky, the very sudden attack had not left much time for an enemy response. The Marines who had just arrived would prove to be a problem, especially now that not much of their opposition remained, and as soon as they had gotten enough time to set up they'd start shredding the Scarabs, but they would make use of that time. Yet currently it was only the Marines who could put any major damage on the immensely armored machines. They kept charging, running over any troops that might've been between them and their target. Both Scarabs, one targeting one of the Shieldbearer's each, rammed them with full momentum, wildly firing the front-mounted cannons while doing so, attempting to completely obliterate the firing lines within them.

Makthus, stuck in his poisoned mind simply loved the onslaught of fire. Unfortunely, the WCPD-Bug didn't live up to his expectations. Sure, it was fast, but apparently not much else. Flinging the huge barrel of his cannon up onto his shoulder it gave off a loud

Ca-CHUNK,

a panel opening up by the side of the barrel, spitting out a large empty shell with enough force to shatter the concreate. The panel closing again as the weapon visibly reloaded. He'd fire off a second one towards Smudgie if it weren't for the fact that he had seemingly pissed of it's compatriots, specifically the way more threathening Jaunt. The sudden grin reappearing atop his lips "Next up! Big daddy spider! Interrupted by incoming fire he took a nose dive towards the nearest rubble "Ahaha! Yes! Come on then, you want some wee revenge don't ya!?" Once again, his distorted voice strangely enough carried out across the battlefield

The Red Queen had become bored with the battle outside and focused her nanobots on the tower itself. The bugs and Imperium troops would find thier weapons come back online and the nanobots seemingly gone. In truth the nanobots entered into the tower they were seeking a way to destroy the tower from the inside turning defense systems against the tower and looked to blow generators and any explosive devices in the building. The Red Queen hoped to topple the tower with its own systems.

As the enemy combatants began to surrender and flee. Those that lay down their arms were swiftly knocked out by Imperial Guardsman with a solid rifle butt square in their face. Of course, the Space Marines on the other hand was not very merciful. They cut and shot their foes, those that fled, surrendered or contused to fight they would let none escape their holy vengeance. Of course buildings were booby trapped which slowed down the advance of Assault marines but not doing to much to injure them. Of course, with the enemy troops and elite fleeing the scenes with rouge mechs and Scarab tanks left. The Imperial forces would not that their heavy weapons were back to working order to which they opened fire on the heavily armored targets without a moments hesitation. Space Marines began to blast the Scarabs or even slash at them while Imperial Guardsman supported them. They could not do much for Sol Tower with it under lockdown but they had to make due by mopping up the last of the stragglers.

The shieldbearer nearest to the building forcefield took rounds as he felt the itch stop as nanobots left but nothing happened to the field. His assault wing was busy firing at thugs shooting pellets at all directions. Some of them heavy slugs. As pale sections grow on their carapace the shield bearer felt a hail of cannon rounds tear into armor a few into the upper layers of thick high soldier skin he whirled on the threat pounding his shield to the ground. The plasteel held but was heavily damaged and the shield generator itself was still struggling back to life having took hits of its own. The tips of the high soldier's legs curved to make more contact with the ground with sprays of milky flourocarbon blood from under armor from the hail of fire. It jumped upward with one side on impact in a melee throw of an opponent of equal size. Trying to use strength and the opponent's own momentum against the scarab with the shield as some protection from impact. The high soldiers could throw cars in 1g if suitably riled.

The other shield bearer and his Assault wing took another tactic. They were pinned down under stony cover of a piece of building pushed to one side of the street. Under assault by scarab cannon the weakened shield bearer struggling to restart his generator took a cannon shot through a damaged spot into its blade arm, sawtooth mount, then smashing the remaining momentum into a bright white welt that squit milky blood. He wobbled and shook his head to reorient his thoughts as the Assault wing seeing the hit instinctively flap-stowed his gun upside down on his back to clasp the column instead. In a burst of strength and hailing fire scraping furrows into the top of his thorax he hefted and punted more than a ton of stone cover toward the oncoming scarab by strength of blade arm.

Jaunt took a direct approach clambering from cover toward Makthus. Curving to intersect an abandoned car Jaunt smashed the side panel in with his head a blade arm pushed the car tires squealing head of him. As he passed dead bodies along his way he claimed them with his halberd of an arm shooting forward to fastball chunks of the once-living toward his target with heavy weapons. At least Jaunt assumed those covered in the disgusting scent of blood and not moving were dead as he couldn't hear anything over the screaming of tires. Periods silent strong-armed hops of the car to bypass heavy cover punctuated his travel across the battlefield.

Smudgie, having regained his wits enough to stand flipped over. There was a small detonation of magic as a curious metal moss appeared from an impact where his body ejected the fragment into new road crater at his side. Smudgie felt drained but things hurt less. He reached back, there was a fuzzy hole but he didn't think he was bleeding. One of his legs was numb but he could see it still moving to try and keep him upright. He would have to see a medic to replace the nerve. A small calibre bullet pinged off of his head and helmet. Bad people now though! Coming from everywhere! Healers later!

Smudgie started shooting a hail of poisonous flechettes from his pistol though his aim wasn't very good in the first place his shaking hands from the pain made things worse. Center mass! Center mass! It's what they said so that's what Smudgie did! He would make a good war scream but the nanothings had broken his transceiver. Of the several dozen shots that Smudgie's fully automatic pistols made only several found a mark. Hits to unfortunate neer-do-wells would scream painfully as the flourocarbon blood was most definitely not a good thing for them in of itself. Then some broke out in a red moss across their skin as the Elysium simulacra in Smudgie's blood took effect. Some of the magically inclined found themselves screaming in incoherent tongues as it crawled across their mind and spirit. Both of which a thing that was debilitating to further hostility.

A secret meeting...


Emperess Electra reclined in her chair with a sigh. Before her was the Hologram of a woman in a red outfit and the hologram of three Mauhasinians two female one male.

“The Holy Emperess hopes for a Terra worthy of our trade That is why we have helped to fund you and given you the means for underwater building… but so far this little alliance has shown little progress.... Her Holiness fears we may have to cut this venture..” The Leader Mauhasinian spoke.

“You have also not made good on your promise to me. A warship of my own.” the Lady in Red added.

“I just need more time… Your ship is almost done Red… and as for you Mauhasinians. You could provide us much more than funding and research. Your fleets could give the Aschen pause.”

“Yes our fleets could… But you need to be seen to stand on your own don’t you. Also Her Holiness does not wish open war with the Aschen at this time.”

The male Mauhasinian spoke up. “We could have the Alterrian forces help… they are human after all and unknown to the Terrans or Aschen.

“Her Holiness would have to decide that…”

Suddenly a message came through. “Emperess our scouts in Sol have detected weapons fire in the System.”

Electra huffed. “This meeting is over for now…”

The jet banked around the city, heading towards the port. If any denizens of the city looked closely, they would see several small drones buzzing around the aircraft like bees.

Shaunie Macadden appears with VAPORIZE in their civilian class vehicle.